Authorities in Colombia and the United States have seized more than 7.5 tonnes of cocaine near Panamanian waters, the Colombian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday. "During an operation by the Colombian national police and navy, in coordination with the United States authorities, more than 7.5 tonnes of cocaine hydrochloride were seized from a Colombian-flagged boat near Panama" , according to a press release from the ministry.
ANOTHER VIGILANT VICTORY: Port-based US Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant continued its recent string of drug seizures, as the cutter helped confiscate about 16,700 pounds of cocaine worth up to $ 286 million and found on a 72-foot vessel northeast of Panama on June 8. (Photo: USCG) pic.twitter.com/8Oy13RLhij
- Port Canaveral (@PortCanaveral) July 1, 2020The drug was mixed with a construction product. The whole was transported aboard a boat from Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, bound for the Panamanian port of Colon.
International cargo
The cargo, intercepted in international waters, belonged to Clan del Golfo, the main gang in Colombia, formed by former far-right paramilitaries, members of militias demobilized in 2006, according to the same source. The cocaine, whose value is estimated at 286 million dollars, was intended for the international market via contacts made by the Clan with gangs of drug traffickers in Central America and Europe.
Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine and coca leaves, the drug's raw material, according to the UN. The United States is the main consumer.
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