(5 Nov 1997) Spanish/Nat
The Colombian Police and the U-S Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced on Tuesday that they had broken a major drug-smuggling operation.
Heroine and cocaine to the value of nearly four (m) million dollars per month has been sold on the streets of the U-S by this particular organisation.
In an operation known to undercover agents as 'Blue Ice' 16 people have been arrested for smuggling the drugs out of South America.
Colombian authorities said on Tuesday a major drug-smuggling route from South America to the U-S has been uncovered by international police.
In the operation known to undercover agents 'Blue Ice' 16 people have been arrested, 12 of whom are from Colombia.
Of the other four members of the organisation, two are from Miami and New York and two are from New Jersey.
One of the Colombians, who is shown here protesting against his arrest, had false passports for Guatemala, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
According to general Rosso Jose Serrano both heroine and cocaine were flown directly to the U-S from Colombia or via Venezuela.
He was giving detailed reports of the operation to the press from the police headquarters in Bogota.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"The operation developed by infiltrating the organisation with intelligence agents from the two countries. And for trafficking of heroine and cocaine they used all the routes which you will see in the demonstration."
SUPER CAPTION: General Rosso Jose Serrano, director of the Colombian national police
The police mounted their operation from Colombia, the U-S, Central America and Europe.
Also, connection points for smuggling the drugs were uncovered in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Italy.
Undercover agents were located in Cali, Miami and New York before the arrests were made during the last week of October.
Of the 12 arrested, at least three are women.
None of those present wanted to show their faces to the camera for reasons of anonymity.
Weapons, mobile phones and false passports were confiscated from the traffickers.
Computers were used extensively in operation 'Blue Ice.'
The value of the drugs smuggled is estimated at nearly four (m) million dollars every month, and according to the investigation five (m) million dollars were laundered the week before the arrests.
The success of the operation has been credited to the improved relationship between international agents who are intent on defeating the drug barons and their cartels.
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