Police seize mammoth drugs and bonds haul
Police have seized more than £4.4 billion worth of suspect US bonds during a drugs raid that also netted them £7 million of assets and a hoard of drugs.
The National Crime Squad swooped on addresses in north London and Essex during two raids in July and August this year. However, the seizures were kept quiet to allow Colombian police to conduct their own investigations.
British officers discovered the bonds during a raid in July. A police spokeswoman explained, “We went in there looking for drugs – anything other than that is a bit of a bonus.”
However, she stressed that the bonds were still under investigation to ascertain whether they are genuine or not.
Nine men charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and conspiracy to supply ecstasy appeared in court over the summer. One is understood to have a house in Colombia. They are due to appear at Winchester Crown Court in November.
Four other suspects have been arrested and released on police bail in the UK, while a further two have been arrested in Columbia.
Seized goods estimated at £7 million included cars, houses and furniture. Officers also discovered 55,000 ecstasy tablets, 15 kilos of amphetamine powder, two kilos of ecstasy powder and a small amount of cocaine during the July and August raids.
Information was passed to the Colombian authorities and a joint investigation set up. Police in Ecuador later found 9.5 kilos of cocaine.
Guillermo Anibal Ortega, director of the Colombia’s attorney general’s office investigative unit, said, “This is a very important victory, because it represents the most overwhelming blow against drug trafficking and money laundering.”
The ring allegedly sent drugs from Colombia to Europe via countries like Ecuador and Mexico.
