Venezuela seizes 300 pistols bound for Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

UPDATED: 09:52, August 30, 2006
Venezuela seizes 300 pistols bound for Colombia

The Venezuelan Customs officials seized 300 pistols at the Maiquetia international airport in the capital, said the country's top Tax and Customs official Jose Gregorio Vielma Moraon Tuesday morning.

"The warehouse at La Guaira did not report to SENIAT (the National Tax and Customs Service)," said Vielma, noting it would be fined about 39.98 million bolivars (18,633 U.S. dollars) for violating Customs rules.

The 300 9mm Vernadeli-brand pistols, bound for Colombia, were transported by the Alitalia Airlines from Turkey, he said, stressing that by law all arms that arrive in Venezuela are required to be registered with the Armed Forces Munitions Directorate.

He said the National Guard and SENIAT have inspected the seized guns to prevent them from being stolen.
(snip/...)

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200608/30/eng20060830_298079.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. From Vene. opposition paper: 300 weapons from Turkey intercepted

Caracas, Tuesday August 29 , 2006
300 weapons from Turkey intercepted

A total of 300, 9mm handguns coming from Turkey and to be delivered in Colombia have been withheld, Integrated National Customs and Tax Administration Service (Seniat) Superintendent José Gregorio Vielma Mora reported.

"The weapons are complete, chargers are complete and there is no missing accessory or part. We think that these 28 kilograms missing in the cargo must be manuals or guides to use the handguns properly," Vielma Mora told official TV channel Venezolana de Televisión from the warehouse of allotted goods at the customs of Maiquetía international airport.

He explained that the weapons had a stopover in Rome and then in Venezuela, to proceed afterwards to Bogota. Therefore, Vielma Mora thinks that the Colombian Defense Ministry is the importer.

However, he clarified that they cannot suspect of smuggling, because the importer cleared customs and paid the appropriate duties.
(snip/)

http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/08/29/en_pol_art_29A772137.shtml

[seafan]

2. Calling Sibel Edmonds, calling Sibel Edmonds, come in Sibel Edmonds. n/t

[bemildred]

3. I don't understand why they would not just go to Colombia?

Does Colombia not have airports or seaports?

[IndianaGreen]

4. This is part of an undercover CIA operation intended to "link" Venezuela

The pistols were supposed to be "intercepted" in Colombia, and the US would have accused Venezuela of sending arms to Colombian terrorists. Unfortunately for the CIA, the Venezuelans stop the weapons while in transit.

May sound like a tin foil conspiracy, but that's the way we used to do business during the Cold War... before I saw the system for what it was.

[bemildred]

5. Thanks. I was thinking Hugo might be sucking up to Alvaro or something.

But what you say makes more sense.

[Mudoria]

11. Not really..

[bemildred]

12. Good argument!

:thumbsup:

[Judi Lynn]

6. Bush's people won't stop trying to destroy Chavez.

It's tremendous Venezuela's government got in front of this vicious plan.

Hope Uribe will wake up one of these days, and back away from his stupid American bully friend, after he notes _Bush just may LOSE in Latin America, and Uribe is going to have to deal with the new world rising there.

[rman]

7. "happens all the time, they only get caught on occasion"

Someone said that, i think he's correct.

[gorbal]

9. Thanks for the insight

Not often we get inside info here:)

[krispos42]

8. There is no "Vernadeli" pistol, 9mm or otherwise

There is a "Bernardelli" brand, made in Italy. No web sight, still under construction. Likely a smaller maker.

I don't know why Colombia would buy such an off brand, though. Plenty of Berettas, Glocks, Hi-Powers, CZs, and USPs out there to buy.

[w4rma]

10. That makes sense. "V"s and "B"s often sound alike, particularly across

language barriers.

[Igel]

13. Or in a language like Spanish,

where the 'v' and the 'b' merged long ago. The difference is orthographic in most varieties of Spanish.

[krispos42]

16. throw in a report over a cell phone and it makes perfect sense.

Just glad it was caught by us.

[sofa king]

14. Gotta be Vincenzo Bernardelli.

As suggested above, the "v" sounds like a "b" and the "ll" sounds like a "y", so a phonetic translation of the Italian word might come out "Vernadeli" (looks like an "r" was dropped, too).

Bernadelli PO-18, PO-18C and P0-18 Model P1

The italian firm of VINCENZO BERNARDELLI SPA released between the '70s and the '80s the PO-18 series of semi-automatic firearms for the military and law enforcement market. The standard version had a 4" barrel, and fired the .9x19mm-Parabellum ammunition feeding from a double-stack column 16-rounds magazine.

A law enforcement compact model, with a 12-rounds magazine, was also made, called PO-18C. Due to the restrictions of the italian laws, which don't allow the .9x19mm-Parabellum caliber to be fired by civilians, a market model was manufactured under the name MODEL P1. The MODEL P1 had the same features and the same magazine capacity than the full-size PO-18 model, only it was available in either .9x21mm-IMI and 7.65mm-Parabellum (a.k.a. the .30-Luger).

http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/2300/2307.htm

[krispos42]

15. I found a little bit about them on auction sites

But your link is vastly better.

Not a bad looking gun. Looks like they kept the controls close to 1911 positons, including the safety.

Still don't know why they would import three-decade-old guns unless it was a counterintelligence plot of some kind. That's getting to be a pretty plausable solution!