© Néstor Reverol/TwitterWreckage of down cocaine smuggling plane
"After the illegal air unit was detected by the radars of the Comprehensive Aerospace Defense Command, the National Bolivarian Armed Forces activated all protocols established in the Control Law for the Comprehensive Defense of Airspace," Reverol tweeted, referring to a 2013 law authorising the destruction of any suspected cartel plane operating in Venezuelan airspace.
"We remain on permanent alert, monitoring our airspace to prevent it from being used for illicit drug trafficking from Colombia, which is the largest producer of cocaine in the world," Reverol added, in a possible reference to the plane's cargo.
Tuesday's incident was the second since July 8, when another plane with a US registration number was destroyed by fighter jets while intruding into Venezuelan airspace. A month before that, another drug-laden private aircraft was destroyed by the military.
"The officials of the #Fanb after detecting the illegal air unit with the radars of the Comprehensive Aerospace Defense Command ( #Codai ), activated all the protocols established in the Control Law for the Comprehensive Defense of Airspace"
Venezuela's military is equipped with some of the latest Russian military equipment, including the S-300 air defense system, which features long-range radar, as well as Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, which complement the US and European equipment the country bought before Washington put embargoes on military-related equipment to Caracas in the 2000s.
Venezuela has been a popular route for Colombian drug traffickers going back to the 1970s. In recent years, however, the country has stepped up its efforts to combat drug smuggling through its territory, while simultaneously cutting off relations with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over suspected espionage activities unrelated to combating drug smuggling.
"We remain on permanent alert, monitoring our airspace to prevent it from being used for illicit drug trafficking from Colombia as the largest producer of cocaine in the world."
Despite Caracas's efforts to combat narcotics smuggling, Washington has accused Venezuela of "not doing enough" to deal with the problem and has even claimed that high-ranking Venezuelan officials are engaged in the operation of a 'narco-terrorist' cartel operation themselves. Venezuelan officials have blasted their US counterparts over these claims.
Reader Comments
& IMO this person, wouldn't lie to us ?
But would that make it UK?
All jest, don't know who the poor SOB was.
R.C.
Were you aware of all the details of the eavesdropping, back when the earliest information was coming out? As I recall, it involved a telephone wiring contractor who revealed that the NSA had an optical splitter for ALL traffic in two stories of a skyscraper in San Francisco, which I believe was sent to Utah.
As I recall, even that was old news when Binney came out with his NSA tale, which I could discuss at length. One thing that stuck in my craw was his claim that he didn't see coming that the NSA would 'change the plan' to get rid of all encryption when he 'originally agreed' that the NSA et al. could only use such information with a Judge's order.
In Binney's favor: he's not discussed by the BFM works in his favor, while the fact he got award from the ACLU works against his credibility.
A question: Your thoughts on Assange?
R.C.
*As re cynic/cynicism, I think I should have used the word 'skeptic', rather than 'cynic' above.
RC
They both function as Big Brother is Watching You! posters... Crush dissent while still giving the proles ready-made tragic and persecuted heroes.
The easiest way to control the opposition is to run it yourself.
We know the evil that exists yet that evil won't kill these two simple men?
.
What really pisses me off about Snowden is how the pinhead he trusted with his info sold him and America out for cash. . Nothing has been released since then. So we know maybe 5% of the info he has
Oooops!
[Link] A
Was around 8/2006 and everyone south of the border knew about it because the Spanish language press covered it while the BFM ignored it. The plane had legitimate appearing DHS markings on it, and was, as I also recall:
- owned by a CIA owned company;
- had stopped at Gitmo on its way (it may have delivered 'renditioned' 'terrorists' (sic)
- If flew from there to SA (I think it was Columbia, our 'ally')
- It was refused? the right to stop and refuel (more than once? by different countries? presumably because they too knew what it held?)
- the amount of coke held a still record amount of coke, etc., etc.
Also, Tampa newspaper article re 'mystery surrounds coke filled plane' typical BFM: [Link] (They say "128 black briefcases" but the calculation yields 86 pounds per 'briefcase'? my ass. Suitcase! I distinctly recall seeing an image from inside the plane showing each seat with as large a suitcase as could fit strapped in with the seatbelts. Also, though it's now presented as some successful bust, the plane ran out of gas AND the pilot supposedly 'escaped' (got escorted back to his CIA handlers.)
Since our idiot populace remain unaware of this now 14 years later, how can they hope to remember to breathe?
R.C.
Also, sorry for not cleaning the comment up more.
R.C.