Specialized agents of the General Directorate of Customs-AFIP stationed at the Posadas-Encarnación International Border Crossing detected more than 16 kilograms of cocaine hidden in A car that was trying entering the country from Paraguay.
The procedure began when, at nightfall, a Paraguayan vehicle showed up at the Argentinean border of the San Roque González International Bridge in Santa Cruz with the intention of entering Argentina. The driver, a citizen of the neighboring country, declared that he was from the city of Encarnación. When the customs agents present there asked the man the obligatory questions, they noticed that he was nervous and evasive.. He even contradicted himself regarding the destination of his trip. In this context, the Customs agents sent the vehicle to a thorough inspection, where They noticed irregularities in the fuel tank.Therefore, The van was scanned, which confirmed that the trunk of the vehicle, where the tank was located, provided unusual images.
Customs personnel proceeded to remove the tank's lid and discovered that it was indeed full of rectangular packages wrapped in yellow tape. Inside they contained a white powdery substance that, when subjected to field tests, tested positive for cocaine. The final count gave a total of 15 bricks, with a combined weight of 16,698 kg and an estimated value of $202 million.
A dolphin
It should be noted that each drug loaf carried the logo of a dolphin printed in bas-relief, It is believed that the cocaine could come from a cartel linked to the so-called "“Pattern of the North”. Customs has detected loads with this characteristic on more than one occasion..
The maneuver could constitute a violation of article 866 of Law 22.415. Customs intervened Federal Court of Posadas, who ordered the seizure of the narcotics and the vehicle, as well as the incommunicado detention of the driver, classifying the actions as Aggravated Attempted Drug Smuggling.
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