CARACAS – December 6, 2009 - Venezuelan authorities seized 1.8 tons of highly pure cocaine hidden in two containers in which cleaning products were being shipped to Spain, Interior Minister Tarek El Aissami said on Sunday.
The shipment was detected Saturday by National Guard members and officials at the Port of La Guaira, the country’s main customs station, located about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northwest of Caracas.
The cocaine was found to be distributed in packets hidden in boxes mixed in with others containing the cleaning products, including detergents and disinfectants, El Aissami said.
Authorities are investigating “six people, fully identified, who are not under arrest but are being questioned, and five companies directly involved in the customs procedures” for the containers’ shipment to Europe, El Aissami said.
The seized cocaine “comes from Colombia” and its “final destination (was) Spain,” the interior minister said, asking, “How does so much drug get out under the noses of Colombian authorities?”
The shipment bore “an identification logo of the criminal organization” to which the drug belongs, which is “one more element for the investigation,” El Aissami said.
Drug seizures are “a new result in the (Hugo Chavez) government’s head-on battle ... against the illicit trafficking of drugs,” which has translated into the seizure of “56 tons of different” drugs so far this year in Venezuela, El Aissami said.
Venezuela shares a land border of 2,219 kilometers (1,376 miles) with Colombia.
The shipment was detected Saturday by National Guard members and officials at the Port of La Guaira, the country’s main customs station, located about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northwest of Caracas.
The cocaine was found to be distributed in packets hidden in boxes mixed in with others containing the cleaning products, including detergents and disinfectants, El Aissami said.
Authorities are investigating “six people, fully identified, who are not under arrest but are being questioned, and five companies directly involved in the customs procedures” for the containers’ shipment to Europe, El Aissami said.
The seized cocaine “comes from Colombia” and its “final destination (was) Spain,” the interior minister said, asking, “How does so much drug get out under the noses of Colombian authorities?”
The shipment bore “an identification logo of the criminal organization” to which the drug belongs, which is “one more element for the investigation,” El Aissami said.
Drug seizures are “a new result in the (Hugo Chavez) government’s head-on battle ... against the illicit trafficking of drugs,” which has translated into the seizure of “56 tons of different” drugs so far this year in Venezuela, El Aissami said.
Venezuela shares a land border of 2,219 kilometers (1,376 miles) with Colombia.
Source:
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=348517&CategoryId=10717
