Tuesday 22 January 2013

Police find tonnes of US-bound Colombian cocaine

Colombian police found at an unspecified date just under four tonnes of cocaine hidden in one or more containers in the Caribbean port of Cartagena and described as ultimately bound for the United States, the Defence Ministry and El Espectador reported on 22 January. The daily cited Colombia's police chief as saying that port inspectors became suspicious of one or more containers after noting discrepancies in their documentation, which prompted a close inspection. The containers were described as carrying a liquid pharmaceutical product inside "flexitanks" - large, resistant bags - which scrutiny and scanning revealed as containing also 3,826 packets of cocaine chlorhydrate, a refined substance. The Defence Ministry stated that investigations indicated these were being shipped by the Colombian gang Los Urabeños and destined for the Mexican cartel The Zetas; it observed the Urabeños likely lost some USD 95 million with the confiscation while the load would have become 10 million doses sold by street dealers in the United States.