Colombia, US law enforcement seize 270 kilograms of cocaine bound for US
CARTAGENA, Colombia — A cargo container ship docked here was going to be used to transport more than ‘routine’ cargo after law enforcement authorities discovered 270 kilos of cocaine Wednesday ready to be concealed on the ship’s hull.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents assigned to the Assistant Attaché Office in Cartagena, Colombia, assisted the Colombian Attorney General’s Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit and the Colombian Navy with the investigation leading to the discovery of the contraband.
The drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for the load was gearing up to hide the cocaine within three parasitic devices that would have been attached to the hull. The contraband was found at a house adjacent to the dock before the DTO’s divers were able to attach it. This seizure is the most recent local bust of narcotics destined for the United States.
Colombian authorities arrested a Colombian national linked to the DTO. Additional arrests are anticipated as the investigation is ongoing.
"Through operations like this, the global law enforcement community is sending a strong message to DTOs everywhere saying: we’re here, we’re united and we’re coming after you," said Cartagena Assistant Attaché Fernando Plascencia. "I commend the Colombian government for their unrelenting efforts in targeting organizations and individuals involved in this illegal activity that hurts so many."
HSI has 67 offices and eight Department of Defense liaisons in 48 countries around the world with more than 380 government and contract personnel committed to the agency's mission. The attachés, part of HSI's International Operations, oversee HSI investigations and serve as agency liaisons to local government and law enforcement counterparts in countries across the globe.
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