Skip to main content

Jorge Solano Cortes was flown to the United States on Thursday

Jorge Solano Cortes was detained by Togolese police in November in an anti-drugs operation backed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Seven other Colombians, a Costa Rican and a Mexican were also detained, along with a South African, a Ghanaian and two Togolese.Police said the group was planning to fly 500 kg of cocaine from the northern town of Niamtougou in Togo, which is sandwiched between Ghana and Benin, to the Atlantic port of Lome from where it was to be smuggled in containers to Europe.Solano Cortes was flown to the United States on Thursday, Togo's government said in a statement, after it agreed to an extradition request from the U.S. Justice Department. He was wanted in the United States on charges of cocaine-smuggling.United Nations anti-narcotics experts say an increase of cocaine trafficking on West Africa's Atlantic seaboard in recent years has turned it into a "Coke Coast", with Colombian cartels using flotillas of planes and boats to smuggle drugs to Europe.Traffickers work with locals, sometimes in government or military and police circles, the experts say.Over the last three years, law enforcement authorities have made major cocaine seizures in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania and Sierra Leone and have also focused on bauxite-producer Guinea as a suspected trans-shipment hub.The experts say this pressure has driven the traffickers to seek out smaller states like Gambia, Togo or Benin

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Elmira Police arrested 21-year old Brittany Nelson of Southport, Michael Harper,Jamal Brock, Robert Christian

Month-long investigation leads to a major drug bust in the Town of Southport.Police seized 500 grams of cocaine, estimated to value about $40,000.Elmira Police arrested 21-year old Brittany Nelson of Southport, 22-year old Michael Harper, 28-year old Jamal Brock, and 26-year old Robert Christian all of Elmira.Harper and Nelson were arraigned and sent to the Chemung County Jail without bail. Brock and Christian are in the Elmira City Lock Up waiting to be arraigned.

Mark Shady, is charged with 14 counts of delivery of cocaine, 15 counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of corrupt organizations

Mark Shady, 32, of 1362 Lusk Run Road, is charged with 14 counts of delivery of cocaine, 15 counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of corrupt organizations, one count of criminal use of a communication facility and one count of conspiracy to deliver cocaine, according to state Attorney General Tom Corbett.Agents estimate the group was responsible for moving more than seven kilograms of cocaine with a street value of more than $780,000 since at least 2004. Corbett said the investigation started focusing mainly on Shady's alleged distribution of cocaine in Lock Haven, Williamsport and the surrounding areas. From there, agents were able to identify two of his cocaine sources.Evidence and testimony about the alleged criminal activity was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the charges being filed Friday. According to the grand jury, from March to August 2007, law enforcement agents made 14 cocaine purchases from Shady in Clinton County....

Mohammed Yousaf,Ansar Iqbal, sentenced to eight years each

Mohammed Yousaf, of Normandy Road, Perry Barr, Ansar Iqbal, of Selston Road, Aston were sentenced to eight years each while Shaied Iqbal, of Drummond Road, Aston, was imprisoned for six and a half years.It is reported that detectives from Staffordshire Police’s Major Crime Unit worked with colleagues from the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Bedfordshire forces for 10 months to break the ring. Over pounds weight of drugs were seized, as part of Staffordshire’s Operation Nemesis, including heroin with a street value of £4 million, 1.5 kilos of amphetamine and an amount of cocaine.