Drugs on crashed plane belonged to Mexico's biggest dealer

[babylonsister]

Drugs on crashed plane belonged to Mexico's biggest dealer
By Jay Root and Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers

* Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007


MEXICO CITY — The four tons of cocaine found aboard a U.S.-registered business jet that crashed in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Monday belonged to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, this country's most notorious drug trafficker, Mexican authorities said Friday.

The business jet that was transporting the dope to Mexico from Colombia was purchased just a week before the crash by a U.S. pilot with a history of legal and financial problems in Florida, interviews and official records indicate, but whether the pilot still owned the plane at the time of its crash is unknown.

The complex sale of the Gulfstream II jet and its end in the Mexican jungle highlight the increasingly complicated illicit drug trade. A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the trade generates as much as $23 billion a year for Mexico-based drug cartels.

U.S. authorities say as much as 90 percent of the cocaine sold in the U.S. is shipped through Mexico.

At least three suspects, including a Mexican pilot, are in Mexican custody. Mexican authorities say two of the men offered them money if they would give back the cocaine and release any crewmembers.

more...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20104.html

[ck4829]

1. Yeah, but who owned the PLANE?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1928364&mesg_id=1928364

[Fridays Child]

2. Clyde O'Connor and Greg Smith, according to the article.

Dunno who they are, though. :shrug:

[OzarkDem]

6. Previously owned by William Achtenbaum

during the time it may have been used for rendition.

Achtenbaum appears to be a wealthy developer in NYC

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2004_3rd/Aug04_PalmCrowneMortgage.html

His employees won't discuss how he used the plane when he owned it..

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070929/wl_mcclatchy/20070928bcmexicoplane_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop

[midnight]

3. Ninty percent of their clientle from the U.S. First of all I want to

know who has that kind of money to snort? Secondly If we can't prevent drugs from entering the U.S. what makes them think terrorist can be kept out? We need better foreign policy.

[leftysopaw]

5. americans

snorted, smoked, injected etc 300 billion $'s worth of illegal drugs last year alone.

[thereismore]

4. This was the plane that serviced Guantanamo, right? Per Rachel Maddow. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Shipped? As in through the ports that Dubai wanted to purchase?

"90 percent of the cocaine sold in the U.S. is shipped through Mexico."