Coast Guard units of the Colombian Navy, during an operation coordinated with the police, against the transnational crime of drug trafficking, found 152 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, which were hidden inside a cargo container of bananas, which had as its final destination, the European continent.
This result was possible, thanks to the continuous control and surveillance operations carried out by the authorities in the port terminals of Santa Marta, and in the maritime communication lines of the region; which led to determine the possible contamination of a cargo container, with drugs. Immediately, a Rapid Reaction Unit – URR, of the Coast Guard Station of Santa Marta, was sent to the place, in order to verify the information.
Once the suspicious container was found, the cargo was inspected, finding 24 boxes with 190 rectangular packages, apparently similar to narcotics, produced by criminal organizations. The illegal merchandise was found and taken to a safe place, where Judicial Police officers conducted the Approved Preliminary Identification Test - PIPH, which tested positive for 152 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride.
It should be noted that 38 of the 190 packages analyzed contained 76 kilograms of a substance that could not be identified by PIPH, so they were sent to a specialized laboratory for study and identification.
It is estimated that this illegal shipment would cost close to US $15 million on the international illegal market. In the same way, the commercialization of more than 300 thousand doses of cocaine on the streets of the world was prevented. No arrests were made during the operation. The material found was put into custody of the authorities.
Source: Press – Navy of Colombia
