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| Europe | |
| Record cocaine hauls in Antwerp port: source was Venezuela | |
| 2005-10-29 | |
Police claim they have busted a criminal international drugs gang with the arrests, newspaper 'Het Laatste Nieuws' reported on Friday. Investigations started on 15 September after Antwerp customs officials found 420kg of cocaine in a shipping container with paper goods. The container was shipped from Venezuela via the Netherlands to Antwerp. The end destination was a Luxembourg-based company. Further investigations revealed that the gang was allegedly waiting for a second shipment and Antwerp customs officials swung into action on 18 October. Some 2,400kg of cocaine was found hidden between vinyl floor tiles, also shipped from Venezuela. This time, the end destination was a Dutch firm. Subsequent house raids saw police arrest six people. Five of whom have been remanded in custody. They have partially between identified as two Venezuelans, B. C. A., 45, and J. A., 35; two Belgian nationals A. G. H., 29 and B. G., 34, and a Belgium-resident Dutch national, M. C., 43. Investigations continue and further arrests have not been ruled out. Belgian customs officials have seized 6 tonnes of cocaine this year, more than 25 percent than last year. | |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #7 Maybe the Euros need to restock and retool after all Hitler was a meth-head and the German soldiers were given Meth (all as vitamin supplement, of course). It did not help this stoned fifth in Stalingrad. The coke is used primarily to rouse sleepy Belgian EU bureaucrats from those meaningful meetings and the long lunchs not mention great Belgian beer. |
| Posted by: Bardo 2005-10-29 15:24 |
| #6 I think the EU should sell the stuff in Spain. They've been selling weapons to Chavez to hurt the US. They deserve to have a crack epidemic. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2005-10-29 15:18 |
| #5 Chavez: I told ju to chip it to JU-S of America, not Antwerp! |
| Posted by: Uleating Wheagum6743 2005-10-29 13:14 |
| #4 It's national, I don't know if feds are behind it or pharmas. I spoke to our pharma about it and he said I wouldn't believe the number of times people would come in and clean the shelves of sudafed. It was good for his business but he knew where it was going. He figures the new formula should be out in a few weeks. |
| Posted by: Fletch Glomorong9099 2005-10-29 11:54 |
| #3 in order to buy 10 Sudafed pills All the OTC cold meds that can be used to make meth have been pulled from the shelves here in Texas and put behind the pharmacists counter. Have to show ID to buy one. Big problem with people shoplifting mass quanties of them to cook into meth. They keep busting labs all the time. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-10-29 10:32 |
| #2 Inspections of shipping containers has increased and become more vigorous post-9/11. Any word on whether the street price of drugs in the U.S. (whether from Venezuela or elsewhere) has gone up since? Or have the drug addicts just switched to domestically produced meth? Yesterday I had to show my driver's licence and have my name and licence number written down by the pharmacist (chemist in British) in order to buy 10 Sudafed pills. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-10-29 10:06 |
| #1 It might be wishful thinking but just maybe our counter drug efforts in the US are driving the Chavez crew to look to other markets. No the EU will work with us on our efforts. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2005-10-29 09:15 |