At least 37 people are under investigation after multiple packages of cocaine worth $286,000 were found on a plane to Spain of the national airline Bolivian AviationThe Minister of Government (Interior), Eduardo del Castillo, reported this this Friday.
The operation took place Thursday at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz after a crew member reported the existence of “strange” packages inside one of the plane’s departments, the minister said.
Del Castillo pointed out that when the search was carried out with trained dogs, another bag containing several packages was found. in the shape of a “brick” and wrapped in duct tape, making a total of 12.
The plane stopped in the city of Cochabamba, so an investigation is underway to determine whether the two drug shipments were placed in that city or when the plane landed in Santa Cruz.
As a result, 37 people were arrested, including 26 staff members of the national airlinewho are already testifying before the prosecutors’ commission investigating the incident, Del Castillo said.
Data recently released by the Vice-Ministry of Social Defense and Controlled Substances indicate that during the year, 6,955 anti-drug operations were carried out, in which 33.93 tons of cocaine were seized, including base paste and hydrochloride, which is the purest form of the drug.
In addition, more than 436 tons of marijuana were seized and 60 drug “mega-labs” and 1,730 cocaine paste factories were destroyed.
It was also reported that during the different operations carried out in Bolivia, 40 planes used by drug traffickers were seized and 48 clandestine runways were operated.
