Pubdate: Sat, 26 Aug 2000
Source: Star, The (Malaysia)
Copyright: 2000 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd.
Contact:  13 Jalan 13/6, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Website: http://www.thestar.com.my

VENEZUELAN COCAINE HAUL RISES TO RM3.04B

UPATA (Venezuela): Venezuelan officials have unearthed another 2.5 tonnes 
of cocaine in a raid on an isolated farm, bringing the total haul in a 
week-long operation to nearly 10 tonnes worth more than US$800mil 
(RM3.04bil) on the streets of Europe, officials said on Thursday.

National Guard officials said the new haul was the third in a series of 
drug busts that have seen about 20 people arrested from a ring dedicated to 
smuggling Colombian cocaine to Europe through Venezuela's sparsely 
populated northeastern seaboard.

The total haul, the largest in Venezuela's history, is a major coup for the 
South American country that the United States accused of being a sanctuary 
for drug traffickers after it refused to allow US anti-drug planes to use 
its airspace.

The latest seizure was pulled on Wednesday from two camouflaged pits 
surrounded by crocodile-infested lagoons and tropical rain forest on a 
large cattle farm 15km from the small town of Upata in southeastern Bolivar 
state, officials said.

National Guard anti-drug units made the bust after capturing two men who 
fled during a raid on another drugs hideaway last week.

"Once we caught them, they led us straight to the spot,'' said Col Jose 
Paez, second-in-command of the National Guard anti-narcotics unit.

The raids capped an eight-month investigation, dubbed Orinoco 2000, that 
was financed by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and also involved 
anti-narcotics agents from Britain, Colombia, France, Greece, Italy and Panama.

Five tons of cocaine were found last week on a wooden platform at the mouth 
of the Orinoco River Delta on Venezuela's eastern Atlantic coast while 
another two tons was found on Tuesday.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart