US nabs Peruvian boat with seven tonnes of cocaine

ChannelNews Asia ^ | 13 March 2004 2312 hrs | AFP

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

LIMA : US ships nabbed a Peruvian vessel in international waters that was carrying seven tonnes of cocaine for a Mexican cartel, Peru's Interior Minister Fernando Rospigliosi said.

After several weeks of cooperation between Peru's anti-drug trafficking agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration, US authorities stopped the Peruvian boat "Grinchi" and its cargo after it sailed from the northern Peruvian port town of Chimbote, Rospigliosi said.

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The route taken by the boat "is the one that has been used by drug traffickers to take drugs out of Peru," he said.

The cocaine, which was found in 136 bags, was produced in Peru and was being shipped to Mexico for a drug trafficker identified by authorities as "Julio Cesar." They did not immediately identify the Mexican cartel.

Authorities have arrested 14 people in several Peruvian cities and they are investigating where the cocaine was produced. Intelligence officers had been monitoring suspects since mid-January.

- AFP

[tdadams]

Someone in Peru is pretty pissed off right now.

[Bismarck]

Naw, the Mexican druglord is probably more pissed-off than his Peruvian counterpart, because who do you think makes more money? The Peruvian supplying the Mexican... or the Mexican supplying the American market?

[Tacis]

Boy, is Bush going to get a wild call from El Presidente Fox!! Every time the US stops one of these shipments, ot costs Fox big time! Fox also gets hit a second time, however, as the peons in the US who sell the stuff don't send back as much "tax" money through the system that Fox and his capos own.

Bush is on some shakey ground here, I tell you. Fox does not like to be diddled like this and will make things even tougher for Bush.