Air France cocaine haul: nine arrested in Venezuela and France
- 11 years ago
Originally published on September 24, 2013
Nine people are arrested in France and Venezuela in connection with the seizure of 1.3 tonnes of cocaine found inside suitcases on an Air France flight from Caracas to Paris. The value of the seized drugs is estimated at 200 million euros.
According to a Reuters report: "Public prosecutors will charge a first sergeant, a second sergeant and a first lieutenant for 'allegedly committing crimes established by Venezuelan law,' the prosecutor's office said, without offering details of what charges it would file."
The report continues:
It added that authorities in Paris had detained six people, three of whom are Italian and three British.
The drugs were stashed in suitcases that were registered under false names that did not correspond to passengers on the flight to Charles de Gaulle airport, French police sources told Reuters.
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls estimated the cocaine shipment had a value of 50 million euros, while police and legal sources said the street value of the drug could be as much as 200 million euros.
"This marks the biggest seizure of cocaine ever made in mainland France as part of a judicial investigation," Valls told reporters on Saturday.
French authorities said the drugs were found earlier this month but details of the raid were only released over the weekend. Venezuelan authorities said the drugs were seized on Sept. 20.
Air France said it was still trying to find out how the drugs were smuggled on board.
Drug enforcement experts say Venezuela's location on South America's Caribbean and Atlantic seaboards makes it a preferred route for planes and ships carrying Colombian cocaine to the United States and Europe via Central America and Africa.
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Nine people are arrested in France and Venezuela in connection with the seizure of 1.3 tonnes of cocaine found inside suitcases on an Air France flight from Caracas to Paris. The value of the seized drugs is estimated at 200 million euros.
According to a Reuters report: "Public prosecutors will charge a first sergeant, a second sergeant and a first lieutenant for 'allegedly committing crimes established by Venezuelan law,' the prosecutor's office said, without offering details of what charges it would file."
The report continues:
It added that authorities in Paris had detained six people, three of whom are Italian and three British.
The drugs were stashed in suitcases that were registered under false names that did not correspond to passengers on the flight to Charles de Gaulle airport, French police sources told Reuters.
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls estimated the cocaine shipment had a value of 50 million euros, while police and legal sources said the street value of the drug could be as much as 200 million euros.
"This marks the biggest seizure of cocaine ever made in mainland France as part of a judicial investigation," Valls told reporters on Saturday.
French authorities said the drugs were found earlier this month but details of the raid were only released over the weekend. Venezuelan authorities said the drugs were seized on Sept. 20.
Air France said it was still trying to find out how the drugs were smuggled on board.
Drug enforcement experts say Venezuela's location on South America's Caribbean and Atlantic seaboards makes it a preferred route for planes and ships carrying Colombian cocaine to the United States and Europe via Central America and Africa.
--------------------------------------------------------
TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.
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https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS
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