2023-12-01 16:56:36
The Armed Forces in the Antilles (FAA) carried out a “record seizure” of 3.5 tonnes of cocaine on a Venezuelan fishing vessel which was cruising southeast of the island of Barbados, they announced on Friday 1is December in a press release.
The patrolman The Fighter intercepted this vessel on November 28 and handed over the crew members and cargo to Venezuelan authorities, the FAA said. The drugs were distributed in 119 bales, according to the same source.
The interception took place “thanks to initial Colombian intelligence on suspicion of a vessel engaged in drug trafficking”, the head of the FAA operations division explained to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The operation took place at night, after an initial phase of aerial reconnaissance and localization.
“Given the position where it was seized, it was drugs that were heading towards Europe, potentially with transshipment on a ship capable of crossing the Atlantic”, we underlined from the same source. Barbados, in the southern Antilles, is the easternmost island in the region.
The operation, carried out by the National Navy with the support of customs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was carried out in coordination with American allies and Colombian partners of the FAA, the latter specified. This seventh FAA seizure of the year brings their balance sheet to “more than 10 tonnes of narcotics removed from distribution networks” in 2023, they specify in the press release.
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