Posted on 04/24/2007 9:14:25 AM PDT by BradtotheBone
PANAMA CITY, Panama Mar 19, 2007 (AP)— Panamanian police seized a boat off the nation's Pacific coast carrying 21.4 tons of cocaine in one of the biggest maritime cocaine busts anywhere on record, officials said Monday.
National police working with agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized the boat on Sunday near the island of Coiba, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
Police arrested 12 men on the boat, including Mexicans and Panamanians, and another two suspects in Panama City in connection with the drugs, the official said.
The boat, which was sailing under a Panamanian flag, was being transported to Panama City on Monday, he said.
Drug cartels often smuggle Colombian cocaine along Panama's Pacific coast en route to the United States.
In 2004, the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy seized 28 tons of cocaine from two fishing boats off the coast of the Galapagos Islands in what State Department officials then called their largest seizures ever during a one-week stretch.
In 2005, police in southwest Colombia seized 15 tons of cocaine from a jungle stronghold, in what national authorities called the largest haul ever on their soil.
There’s going to be some cranky Hollywood Liberals tonight :-)
Keith Richards in the vicinity??? Or addressee?? Needs some to spice up the remainder of his pappy???
Anyone have any idea how many Coca plants you have to cultivate to make 21 tons of cocaine?
There goes my weekend plans!
21.........20.........19.........15..........11..........7...........
Keith Richards putting in an order for his mother’s wake?
Peruvian flake is better anyway.
about as many corn plants to make the same amount of ethanol?........
He said that was an April Fool’s joke. Didn’t happen.......
I'm saying the "final" amount reported will be under 10. Your 7 may be real close.
This story was in today’s Washington Times, saying the U.S. made the bust, but apparently it happened last month.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070321-113332-8007r.htm
There was video on Fox yesterday of Coast Guard personnel offloading the coke. The Coast Guard captain claims they seized the boat and boarded it.
I’m not sure this story is accurate.
Video and the REAL story. 1st link.
Redistribution of wealth needed from the producers and traffickers to the 'legitimate businessmen' running the Panama and US governments?
21 tons of coke is certainly not something to sneeze at.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
This is not a true story. The US Coast Guard made the bust, boarded the vessel and the coke is in the hands of the Coast Guard. There is video on Fox with details on the boarding.
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