Police find 1.3 tons of cocaine on jet formerly owned by Turkish Prime Ministry
A Turkish private jet that used to belong to the country’s Prime Ministry was found to have 1.3 tons of cocaine on board.
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A Spanish national had rented the aircraft and was attempting to use it to transport the drugs from Brazil to Belgium, according to Turkish publication Duvar.
The man, as well as the Turkish flight crew, were detained before managing to leave Brazil’s Riberio Preto airport on August 4.
The jet was formerly under the inventory of the Turkish Prime Ministry but was then sold to private company ACM Holding, according to journalist Timur Soykan.
ACM Holding released a written statement with regards to the cocaine bust, saying its plane had been rented by a passenger who has a Spanish passport.
“The relevant customer and his personal items have no connection whatsoever to our company or flight crew, and the inspection of the passenger's belongings are completely under the authority of the airport,” the company said.
Earlier this year, mafia leader Sedat Peker alleged that Turkey had become a hub for cocaine smuggling from South America to the Middle East.
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