DEA, Coast Guard Make Record Maritime Cocaine Seizure

MAR 21-  The Drug Enforcement Administration joined with the U.S. Coast Guard to announce today the record maritime seizure of approximately 42,845 pounds of cocaine aboard the Panamanian flagged motor vessel Gatun on Sunday off the coast of Panama by the San Diego-based Coast Guard cutter Hamilton and the Alameda, Calif.-based Coast Guard cutter Sherman.

A Coast Guard C-130 maritime patrol aircraft spotted the Gatun approximately 20 miles southwest of Isla de Coiba, Panama on Saturday. The Coast Guard obtained flag-state consent to board the vessel through a maritime agreement between the U.S. and Panama. A Coast Guard boarding team conducted a search and discovered the cocaine hidden in two containers aboard the ship. The 14 Panamanian and Mexican crewmembers of the Gatun were arrested and are being transferred to the U.S. and Panama for prosecution.

"This weekend Mexican drug traffickers were awaiting the arrival of 19 metric tons of cocaine that is now in the hands of U.S. law enforcement instead of the hands of drug traffickers and abusers," said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. "This record-breaking seizure denied the Mexican drug lords $300 million in drug revenue. This lost drug revenue, combined with last week's unrelated record-breaking $205 million cash seizure by the Government of Mexico working in partnership with DEA, dealt Mexican traffickers a one-two punch: they're down more than half a billion dollars in blood money in just 48 hours."

 

In the two pictures it shows the cocaine packed in bags and

placed in 2 huge containers

“This record-breaking seizure was the result of good actionable intelligence and the closest collaboration amongst our interagency partners through Operation Panama Express,” said Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. “Beyond that, our hard working crews overcame significant challenges in maintaining a 40-year-old deepwater cutter to prosecute this mission far from U.S. shores, ultimately preventing nearly 20 tons of cocaine from reaching streets all across America in a single stroke."

Previously, the largest cocaine seizures by the Coast Guard were: 30,109 pounds from the stateless-vessel Lina Maria, on Sept. 17, 2004; 26,397 pounds from the Cambodian-flagged vessel Svesda Maru on May 1, 2001; and 26,369 pounds from the Belize-flagged vessel San Jose on Sept. 23, 2004.

DEA Releases Photos of Record-Breaking Seizure In Afghanistan

JUN 13- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is releasing photos of the record-breaking hashish seizures in Afghanistan.

The 262-ton hashish seizure is the largest of any known drug seizure. Operation Albatross was a result of the joint effort between the Government Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and DEA’s Foreign-Deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FAST). Operation Albatross was also supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization International Security Assistance Force (NATO-ISAF), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Department of State.

Search warrants were executed on five narcotics

super-labs and numerous underground drug-bunkers in

Spin Boldak, located in Kandahar Province. The

search warrants were served in Taliban-controlled

areas of the region. Twelve suspects were also

arrested during Operation Albatross.

(Confiscated hashish being burned)

DEA Arrests Smugglers Hiding Heroin In Condoms And The Soles Of Sandels

JUN 21-Today, 56 members of this powerful heroin trafficking organization are in custody as a result of the coordinated efforts of the DEA Task Force and Colombian authorities. The criminal organization targeted in “Operation Double Identity” used highly-sophisticated smuggling methods to bring its heroin into the United States and ultimately to New York City.”

“They hid heroin in the soles of sandals, and golf bags, and also used human ‘swallowers’ to smuggle heroin in condoms with heroin pellets in them to the U.S. on board commercial airliners,” 

(These sandals were used to hide some of the $25 million dollars worth of heroin into the United States from Colombia.)

Prior to today’s arrests the task force arrested 26

members of the organization, all of whom are being

prosecuted in Manhattan federal court. During the

investigation, the DEA Task Force and Colombian authorities, assisted by officers with the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol, in Florida, seized more than 250 pounds of the organization’s heroin – worth more than $25 million –- that was destined for New York City streets

(Condoms (pictured here) were used to

smuggle the heroin into New York and Florida.)

Drug Ring Hid Cocaine in Religious Statues and Tombstones

MAR 30- (New York, NY) The Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the results of the DEA-led Operation Omni Presence, a multi-jurisdictional international investigation that targeted a major drug trafficking organization, This New York investigation resulted in the arrest of 11 individuals, the seizure of 194 kilograms of cocaine and $474,000 USC.

Operation Omni Presence revealed a far-reaching cocaine trafficking organization based out of Mexico which used ingenious methods to smuggle their illegal contraband – including the concealment of bricks of cocaine inside of religious statues of the Virgin Mary.

 Operation Omni Presence used advanced techniques of information collection and intelligence sharing to identify every facet of the organization. As a result, DEA was able to identify and dismantle all levels of criminal activity, from the Mexican source of supply to the wholesale distributors and retail dealers in our local communities

Heroin Traffickers Used Puppies to Smuggle Drugs

FEB 1st- (New York, NY) - The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) arrested 22 Colombian nationals who were responsible for smuggling over 20 kilograms of heroin into the United States. The Colombian organization used varied and unique concealment methods.

Human couriers, termed "swallowers", ingested the heroin packets for transporting. Animal couriers were pure-bred puppies that had heroin packets surgically implanted in them. In one instance, six puppies were found impregnated with a total of three kilograms of liquid heroin packets.

"The organization's outrageous and heinous smuggling method of implanting heroin inside puppies is a true indication of the extent that drug dealers go to make their profit," said Gilbride. "This investigation identified the individuals who were responsible for overseeing and smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin from Colombia to the East Coast."