ROME – Italian police on Thursday said they had seized over two tons of pure cocaine from Colombia in the biggest drug bust in Italy over the past 25 years. ADVERTISEMENT“The drugs belonged to several drug-trafficking organizations associated with the armed group known as the ‘Gulf Clan’,” the police statement said in reference to Colombia’s famed drug cartel. The Gulf Clan accounts for about 70 percent of Colombia’s cocaine production and uses violence and intimidation to control narcotics trafficking routes, cocaine processing laboratories, and departure points. That batch, found in 23 large bags during a search at the port of Livorno in Tuscany, has a street value of $148.7 million (130 million euros). The cocaine, discovered on January 15, was in a container that had set off from Honduras, before being transferred to another cargo ship in Costa Rica.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 31, 2019 11:48 UTC