News (Media Awareness Project) - US TX: $35 Million In Drug Money Is Seized In Colombia |
| Title: | US TX: $35 Million In Drug Money Is Seized In Colombia |
| Published On: | 2001-08-26 |
| Source: | Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-25 09:44:19 |
$35 MILLION IN DRUG MONEY IS SEIZED IN COLOMBIA
BOGOTA, Colombia -- In a joint U.S.-Colombian operation, police discovered
$35 million in two upscale apartments, one of the largest seizures of drug
money.
One person was arrested during the raids early Saturday. In Washington,
Customs Service spokesman Dean Boyd identified the arrested man as Felix
Chitiva Carrasquillo and said he owns the apartments.
He was arrested on a provisional warrant issued by the U.S. Customs Service
and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boyd said.
Chitiva was a major target of Operation Journey, a case announced publicly
in August 2000, Boyd said. The investigation involved 12 nations and
resulted in the seizure of about 25 tons of cocaine and the arrests of 43
people around the world.
The money found Saturday was packed in more than 300 bundles of $100,000
each. The bundles were wrapped in plastic and stashed in boxes. The cash,
in denominations of $20s, $50s and $100s, was displayed at a news
conference at national police headquarters in Bogota.
Gen. Luis Ernesto Gilibert, commander of the Colombian national police,
said it could be the biggest haul of drug money.
Fifteen million dollars was hidden behind a bathroom wall in one apartment
in northern Bogota, and $20 million was found packed behind a kitchen wall
in the other apartment, officials said.
Boyd said $40 million was seized in the two apartments, but authorities in
Colombia put the amount at $35 million.
At the Bogota news conference, U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson and Gilibert
congratulated each other on the operation.
"Every time we trail international criminals, the DEA plays an important
role," Gilibert said.
Colombian drug smugglers provide more than 80 percent of the world's
cocaine and often smuggle back to Colombia huge amounts of dollars, which
are then invested in apparently legitimate enterprises such as housing
complexes, resorts, restaurants and discotheques.
Defense Minister Gustavo Bell said the confiscated fortune will be used to
strengthen Colombian anti-drug forces.
BOGOTA, Colombia -- In a joint U.S.-Colombian operation, police discovered
$35 million in two upscale apartments, one of the largest seizures of drug
money.
One person was arrested during the raids early Saturday. In Washington,
Customs Service spokesman Dean Boyd identified the arrested man as Felix
Chitiva Carrasquillo and said he owns the apartments.
He was arrested on a provisional warrant issued by the U.S. Customs Service
and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boyd said.
Chitiva was a major target of Operation Journey, a case announced publicly
in August 2000, Boyd said. The investigation involved 12 nations and
resulted in the seizure of about 25 tons of cocaine and the arrests of 43
people around the world.
The money found Saturday was packed in more than 300 bundles of $100,000
each. The bundles were wrapped in plastic and stashed in boxes. The cash,
in denominations of $20s, $50s and $100s, was displayed at a news
conference at national police headquarters in Bogota.
Gen. Luis Ernesto Gilibert, commander of the Colombian national police,
said it could be the biggest haul of drug money.
Fifteen million dollars was hidden behind a bathroom wall in one apartment
in northern Bogota, and $20 million was found packed behind a kitchen wall
in the other apartment, officials said.
Boyd said $40 million was seized in the two apartments, but authorities in
Colombia put the amount at $35 million.
At the Bogota news conference, U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson and Gilibert
congratulated each other on the operation.
"Every time we trail international criminals, the DEA plays an important
role," Gilibert said.
Colombian drug smugglers provide more than 80 percent of the world's
cocaine and often smuggle back to Colombia huge amounts of dollars, which
are then invested in apparently legitimate enterprises such as housing
complexes, resorts, restaurants and discotheques.
Defense Minister Gustavo Bell said the confiscated fortune will be used to
strengthen Colombian anti-drug forces.
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