'Drug-trafficking' planes seized in Venezuela

AP

Monday 15 February 2010

Authorities discovered 28 airplanes in central Venezuela that were presumably being used by drug traffickers.

A security official from central Guarico state said the planes were found inside a hangar on the outskirts of El Sombrero.

The town is located in a rural area about 143 miles from Caracas.

Hedy Ramirez told the state-run ABN news agency that federal police and National Guard troops took control of the hangar and impounded the planes while investigations proceed.

The planes are mostly small aircraft typically used by drug runners.

Venezuela is a major hub for traffickers smuggling Colombian cocaine to the United States and Europe.

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