Photo: ACN/Ara.cat
The 35th edition of the Dakar Rally has ended for more than a month now, but the 2014 event might make a return in the headlines this week, and for all the wrong reasons.
In short, it seems that one of the assistance trucks that were part of this year's edition of the Dakar Rally had some rather unusual and highly illegal merchandise on board when returning to Europe from South America, where the race took place.
We are talking about no less than 1.4 tons of cocaine wrapped in plastic and hidden inside a number of tires that the Mercedes-Benz truck was carrying.
The eight-wheel drive vehicle is an assistance truck used by the Spanish Epsilon Team, who has been providing logistics and assistance to Dakar racing teams for over 27 years now.
It seems that the Mercedes-Benz had arrived at the French port of Le Havre from Chile and was onboard a Liberian-registered vehicle carrier.
Three Spaniards and two Bulgarians were arrested by French police in connection to the drug find so far. The French believe that the cocaine came from Bolivia and Colombia, with the 1.4 tons of drugs having a street value of around EUR 270 million ($ 371 million).
Story via ARA
We are talking about no less than 1.4 tons of cocaine wrapped in plastic and hidden inside a number of tires that the Mercedes-Benz truck was carrying.
The eight-wheel drive vehicle is an assistance truck used by the Spanish Epsilon Team, who has been providing logistics and assistance to Dakar racing teams for over 27 years now.
It seems that the Mercedes-Benz had arrived at the French port of Le Havre from Chile and was onboard a Liberian-registered vehicle carrier.
Three Spaniards and two Bulgarians were arrested by French police in connection to the drug find so far. The French believe that the cocaine came from Bolivia and Colombia, with the 1.4 tons of drugs having a street value of around EUR 270 million ($ 371 million).
Story via ARA
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