The Judicial Police of Guinea-Bissau announced on Sunday that the private aircraft that was seized on Saturday was carrying 2,633 kilograms of cocaine packaged in 78 bales.
This is the largest drug seizure in the country’s history. In 2019, the Judicial Police seized 1,869 kilogrammes of cocaine in northern Guinea-Bissau, making it the largest seizure the country had recorded that time.
According to the Judicial Police statement, all crew members aboard the private plane which came from Venezuela were arrested. The group includes five Latin American nationals: two Mexicans, one Colombian, one Ecuadorian, and one Brazilian.
Police said the five arrested foreigners will appear before the public prosecutor at the criminal court in Bissau on Monday, September 9, for their first court hearing. The police also said an investigation is ongoing to dismantle the drug trafficking network involved.
The recent cocaine seizure in Guinea-Bissau, tagged “Operation Landing,” was conducted in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N), the statement revealed. The Judicial Police added that national agencies like the National Guard and Public Order Police also assisted in the operation.
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Editor’s note: This article has been edited to correct that the seized aircraft came from Venezuela and not Mexico like Guinea-Bissau’s police source said on Saturday.
Read More: Mexican Private Jet With Large Quantity Of Cocaine Seized At Guinea-Bissau Airport
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