Specialized agents of the General Directorate of Customs-AFIP They dismantled an attempt to smuggle cocaine that was traveling hidden in a long-distance bus and through a scan of the drive.
The discovery occurred during a vehicle check in the Salvador Mazza-Yacuiba International Border Crossing, after a non-intrusive check revealed suspicious images in the bathroom of a long-distance bus from the neighboring country.
The procedure began when a Bolivian vehicle appeared in the cargo and passenger transport area to enter Argentina. The vehicle from Cochabamba —a city located around 1000 km from Salvador Mazza— was subjected to scanning and, at that moment, the operators of the X-ray equipment of the Customs Office distinguished anomalous images for that type of bus, in the bathroom area.
In this context, they proceeded to carry out an exhaustive inspection of the space in the presence of two witnesses: with a screwdriver, they removed a sink cover and, hidden inside, They found the presence of 2 rectangular packages wrapped in black tape. Later, when dismantling the paper towel storage room, they detected 7 more packages with the same characteristics..
The bricks contained a white powder that, when subjected to a field narcotest with the specific reagent for cocaine, gave a positive result. The weighing of the packages gave a result of 10,200 kg, so their value is estimated at $141.678.000.
Customs informed the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Tartagal of the news and assistant prosecutor Luis Martín Aguilera intervened, who ordered the seizure of all the drugs and the incommunicado detention of the bus drivers.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
