Sierra Leone drug bust of Venezuelan plane with Red Cross markings

AFP:

Police in Sierra Leone have arrested three more foreigners in connection with Sunday's record cocaine seizure in the West African country, bringing the total number of arrests to 61.

Police official Francis Munu told reporters Thursday that the three additional suspects were from Venezuela but carried multiple passports.

In total, 11 foreign nationals and 50 Sierra Leoneans have been arrested.

The arrests follow the discovery on Sunday of 600 kilos (1,322 pounds) of cocaine in an airplane bearing a fake Red Cross emblem at Freetown's international Lungi airport.

Police said the plane had come from Venezuela, which is a major source of cocaine shipments destined for Europe.

The seizure is a record for Sierra Leone and one of the biggest drugs hauls this year in West Africa.

"We are putting the bits and pieces together to form a story line as to how the plane and its cargo got to Freetown and who aided and abetted the commission of the crime," Munu said.

"So far, we have been able to establish that it is an international criminal conspiracy," he added.

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Sierra Leone is south of Guinea-Bissau on the West African coast. A few days ago I had a post on a Venezuelan plane captured there too. The Red Cross markings on the plane are interesting and they may explain why the FARC narco terrorist were fooled by similar markings on a Colombian helicopter that was used to rescue the hostages. It appears that the Venezuelan narco air force has had a couple of big losses recently. With the captures it will be interesting to see if information can be developed on whether the Venezuelan government is involved with the shipments.

There are some reports that the US and UK took part in the investigation leading to the bust. One of those arrested in Sierra Leone was the aviation minister's brother.

A Sierra Leone Paper identified the owner of the plane as Corporacion Aerostar 521 C.A. of Avenue Los Laboratoios, Edif. Quorum, Piso 1, Los Ruices, Caracas. The plane registration number number is YV1647. It is a Cessna 441 manufactured in 1978 with Tax RIF: J-31200146-1 and has El Caracas SVCS as its airport base. That certainly sounds like a Venezuelan connection.