Drug cartels from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey were left without more than 12 tons of cocaine in the last few days, and international investigators are also investigating several Montenegrin citizens for smuggling more than a third of that load.
This is what the interlocutor from the foreign security service told "Vijesti", explaining that at the beginning of the week, in Panama, they seized 4,5 tons of cocaine that was supposed to be smuggled to Spain.
Precisely because of this amount, cocaine smugglers from the former Yugoslavia, including several Montenegrin citizens, are under the radar of international services.
"Drugs were found in three containers that were on a ship in a port terminal in the Panama Canal. The final destination of all three containers, which also contained legal goods, was Spain. The exchanged intelligence indicates that the cocaine was packed in containers in Colombia, but the possibility that it was done in Ecuador, from where the ship started sailing, is also being checked," said the same interlocutor.
He pointed out that the action was carried out by agents of the National Aviation Service of Panama, and that the operation was supervised by the state prosecutor's office.
"The drugs were on an ocean liner, distributed in three containers. The ship arrived from Ecuador, but was in transit in Peru, Colombia and Panama, and the final destination was Spain", said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
He explained that several security services are sharing intelligence about those responsible for smuggling that amount of cocaine.
"Cocaine in Spain was supposed to be delivered to drug cartels from the territory of the former Yugoslavia, which cooperate with each other, but also to some other international criminal groups, which have tentacles on several continents," explained the same source.
He reminded that foreign security services in the territory of Barcelona detected 14 members of drug clans from the territory of the former Yugoslavia during September, among whom, it is believed, individuals were responsible for receiving a shipment of 2,3 tons of cocaine, which was confiscated at the end of September in the port of Cartagena.
In addition to 4,5 tons of cocaine, most likely intended for the Balkan drug cartel, agents of the National Aviation Service seized a shipment of 3,2 tons of the drug in Panamanian waters a few days ago.
Yesterday they burned four tons
Spanish and French customs and the local tax agencies yesterday, in a joint operation that they have been conducting for months, seized another four tons of cocaine and arrested ten suspects, including several persons of Turkish nationality, including the captain of that vessel. Two of the arrested are Azerbaijanis, and one is Dutch.
It was explained to the "News" that the control of that cargo ship was carried out yesterday by the crew of the Spanish vessel for special customs control operations, together with the French customs patrol boat, with the assistance of the Air Force.
"The very effective execution of this action prevented the drugs from being transhipped onto smaller vessels and reaching the Spanish coast. "Cocaine was found in the area between the warehouses of the cargo ship and it was quite difficult to access it from the outside," said the "Vijesti" interlocutor.
He also explained how the cocaine was found:
"The Center for the Analysis and Maritime Operations of Drug Trafficking (MAOC-N), based in Lisbon, followed that freighter, and the operation was carried out in coordination with the National Police and the Civil Guard, through the Coordination Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime. In addition to the intelligence that was shared, the investigators' attention was drawn to the ship's trajectory - it set sail from Turkey, sailed through the Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast, then to Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau without loading or unloading any goods, and after making several irregular maneuver directed towards the Iberian Peninsula.
That interlocutor recalled that in the same operation, at the end of September, about 300 miles northwest of the Canary Islands, half a ton of cocaine was seized and six suspects were arrested.
1.640 kilograms of cocaine were seized
The Pacific Naval Forces of the Colombian National Navy in a spectacular action yesterday intercepted four smugglers who tried to evade justice, transporting a significant amount of cocaine by speedboat.
According to "Vijesti" information, the action lasted for ten hours, during which, after the chase, the patrol units of the navy managed to intercept the suspects and take control of the vessel.
"After we intercepted the boat and performed an initial inspection, we immediately suspected that the packages they were transporting contained cocaine," said a source from the security service to "Vijesti".
He pointed out that a detailed check revealed 55 sacks in which 1.640 kilograms of pure cocaine were found, the street value of which was estimated at tens of millions of euros.
"The Colombian Navy is leading an intensive fight against drug cartels, which use Pacific waters as key routes for drug smuggling to North America and Europe. Actions like this show Colombia's determination to confront one of the biggest threats to security and stability in the region, but also around the world," said the interlocutor.
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