International drug ring dismantled, 30 arrested in Colombia

BOGOTA: Colombian police said Thursday that an international drug-trafficking ring exporting cocaine to Europe, the United States and Oceania on commercial flights has been dismantled, with 30 people arrested.

Three people were held in the US, six in Australia, 10 in Spain and 11 in Colombia.



Police said the drug-trafficking ring was run by Jorge Juan Merlo of Spain, who goes by different aliases, including 'Monkey.'

Merlo was already the subject of 32 judicial cases across several countries. He was arrested in Colombia alongside seven other people, charged with an array of offenses, including drug trafficking.

Some 790 kilograms (1,740 pounds) of cocaine, 10 vehicles, $200,000 in cash, 21 cell phones, a gun and eight passports were seized in the international operation.

The network was centered around Colombia's capital Bogota and the Pacific coast.

The cocaine was produced in the south of Colombia and transported on commercial flights to its destination countries.



A single passenger would be able to carry 60 kilograms of cocaine in luggage.

Despite four decades of fighting against the lucrative and violence-ridden drug trade, Colombia remains the world's biggest producer of cocaine with the US the white powder's primary consumer.