COLOMBIA MAKES LARGEST DRUG SEIZURE EVER

Colombia has made its largest ever drugs seizure, with almost 25
metric tons of cocaine, valued at UKP250 million, found ready for export
in a hide on the Pacific coast.

"This is the largest seizure in Colombian history," said Defence
Minister Juan Manuel Santos of the shipment found near the town of
Pizarro in the Pacific province of Choco.

The discovery was the result of eight months of undercover work by
Colombia's secret intelligence service, the DAS, which received a tip
off that the huge drug consignment had been put together in the
estuary of Pizarro. The drugs, in almost 1000 waterproof,
vacuum-packed bricks, were about to be loaded onto 'go fast' launches
to make the trip along the Pacific coast up towards Mexico. The high
speed motor boasts were to either rendezvous with larger ships or
transfer the drugs onto other launches which would take them to
Central America or Mexico where Mexican cartels would smuggle the
cocaine across the border in to the US. advertisement

Intelligence sources said that the drugs belonged to various drugs
trafficking organisations that had pooled this shipment, but that the
principal owners were the Norte Del Valle Cartel and the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

"There are different markings on the cocaine, revealing that they come
from different sources, but intelligence suggests that the biggest
components belong to the FARC and Norte Del Valle," the intelligence
agent said.

The FARC, a 12,000-strong Marxist guerrilla army which has been
fighting to overthrow the government for more than four decades, has
become one of the most powerful players in the Colombian drugs world.
There are US indictments and extradition warrant pending for almost 50
of the FARC's top commanders on charges of drugs trafficking.

The Norte Del Valle Cartel, is the last of the great cartels and its
leaders are along America's most wanted, with UKP2.5 million ($5
million) rewards on their heads. In the indictment requesting the
extradition of the Norte del Valle leaders, US authorities insist the
cartel has smuggled well in excess of 500 tons of cocaine onto the
American mainland.

The seizure will be good news for President Alvaro Uribe who arrives
in Washington today (Wednesday) to defend his government against
accusations that after $4 billion invested (UKP2 billion) the war on
drugs has been a failure. Mr Uribe will also have to answer some
difficult questions about the links of his government to brutal right
wing paramilitaries, after his former DAS chief, Jorge Noguera, was
arrested and accused of feeding the paramilitary with information
about suspected guerrilla sympathizers who were later
assassinated.

There have also been questions about the head of the Colombian army,
General Mario Montoya, after a leaked CIA document linked with the AUC
paramilitary death squads in the city of Medellin.