500kg of drugs found on crashed bus
500 kg of drugs were discovered in the car that crashed on August 14, killing at least 23 people and injuring 18 others on the outskirts of the capital Quito.
Ecuadorian authorities announced on August 17 that they had discovered and seized at least 500 kg of drugs from a bus that crashed on August 14, killing at least 23 people and injuring 18 others in the suburbs of the capital Quito.
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| The car crashed. (Photo: AAP) |
It took police more than an hour to remove the packages of opium hidden under the floor of the bus. This is the fourth bus discovered carrying opium in the past few months.
“Through these incidents, we see the need to act to prevent illegal smuggling,” emphasized Carlos Alulema, Director of the Ecuadorian Police's anti-drug unit.
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| The amount of drugs seized. (Photo: Reuters) |
“We have had three large drug seizures, totalling 1 ton of drugs, including more than 400kg of cocaine and 600kg of marijuana. We also found a lot of fake documents coming from Venezuela and Colombia. This is part of our government’s responsibility to control the situation and that is also the reason for the announcements regarding the mandatory use of passports,” Mr. Alulema added.
According to Ecuadorian police officials, it is almost impossible to detect drugs on passenger buses through routine checks because they are often cleverly disguised./.
