Colombian police seize 6.2 tonnes of cocaine

Barranquilla (Colombia) April 3 (IANS) Colombian police seized 6.2 tonnes of cocaine in the Caribbean port of Barranquilla that were bound for Spain, a minister said.

The drugs, which were ready to be sent to the southern Spanish port of Algeciras, were seized on Saturday from the Clan del Golfo criminal group, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas told reporters here on Sunday.

"The drug was found in a shipment of scrap metal and is the third-largest cocaine seizure made on the Colombian mainland," Efe news quoted him as saying.

"This was a local intelligence operation, whereby we have dealt a major blow to criminal organisations," Villegas said, revealing that in the first three months of this year Colombian authorities have seized 103 tonnes of highly pure cocaine.

The minister added that the seizure was made after authorities captured the man known as "El Mocho", whom he identified as an "important figure within the Clan del Golfo organisation".

Meanwhile, Gen. Nieto said that this "is a major blow to the criminal structures of organised bands, affecting the drug trafficking chain".

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos congratulated the police on his Twitter account.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)