Colombia seizes eight tonnes of cocaine worth £167m near border with Panama
The haul is believed to be one of the largest seizures made in the country in recent years
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Colombian police have made one of the country’s biggest seizures of cocaine in recent history, hauling in eight tonnes of the illegal drug, worth an estimated $240m (£167m), near the border with Panama.
The huge stash of drugs was found in an underground hideaway on a banana plantation in the municipality of Turbo in the Antioquia department, government officials said on Sunday. Three people were arrested in the police operation.
Colombian police released photos of the haul showing packages of cocaine laid out on the ground, with sacks filled with more packages lined up alongside them.
The country’s President, Juan Manuel Santos Calderon, said on Twitter that the cocaine haul marked “the biggest seizure of drugs in history,” calling it “A hit against criminals.”
The cocaine belonged to the crime gang known as Clan Usuga, Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said. The US has offered a $5m (£3.5m) reward for the capture of the gang’s leader.
Authorities in Colombia seized around 252 tonnes of cocaine in 2015 – more than half of the 442 tonnes believed to be produced in the country each year, according to United Nations figures.
In February last year, Colombian officials confiscated 3.3 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of around £58m, again belonging to Clan Usuga.
Just months later more than eight tonnes of the narcotic were seized by US authorities off the coast of El Salvador. The drug was being carried in a submarine-like vessel, a method of transportation that was identified by the Royal Navy several years ago as a way that crime cartels were avoiding naval patrols in the Caribbean to send cocaine from Central America to Europe and Britain.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments