El Salvador: Cocaine Worth Rs 727 Crore Set On Fire By Police Officials As Fight Against Drugs Intensifies
The officials of the Anti-Narcotics Division in El Salvador seized and destroyed 2,290 kg of cocaine worth $91 million (Rs 727 crore) on Thursday, September 1.
The officials of the Anti-Narcotics Division in El Salvador seized and destroyed 2,290 kg of cocaine worth $91 million (Rs 727 crore) on Thursday, September 1.
Cocaine worth Rs 727 crore set on fire by police in El Salvador
This comes amidst the Central American country's crackdown on drugs and gang-fuelled violence. To send a message, the authorities decided to burn the entire 2,290 kg bust of cocaine.
Screengrab/Twitter
Video posted by the PNC El Salvador, which they said was filmed in Changallo, shows
the Anti-Narcotics Division
laying all the packets of cocaine on the ground, then pouring some gasoline and setting it all on fire.
The drugs were seized from seven foreigners, according to the National Civil Police of El Salvador, which also stated that the drugs were burned to help the country¡¯s fight against illegal drug trafficking.
Reducimos a cenizas estas
¡ª PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) September 2, 2022
sustancias y evitamos su consumo.
As¨ª ponemos punto final a esta incautaci¨®n, golpeando las finanzas de estructuras del narcotr¨¢fico y de pandillas. pic.twitter.com/qTvbCOSUYK
In a set of tweets, PNC Salvador shared the moments that led to $91 million worth of cocaine going up in flames.
Tagging it as what translates to ¡°fight against the structures that are dedicated to drug trafficking,¡± PNC El Salvador shared pictures of the officials carrying the packets of the bust.
Nuestra Divisi¨®n Antinarc¨®ticos prepara 2,290 kilos de coca¨ªna que ser¨¢n destruidos.
¡ª PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) September 1, 2022
Esta droga tiene un valor aproximado de $91 millones y fue decomisada a 7 extranjeros, como resultado del combate a las estructuras que se dedican al tr¨¢fico de drogas. pic.twitter.com/HM9CnruVPR
In the subsequent tweet, the department shared pictures of the convoy which carried the cocaine packets to a safe destruction property in Changallo. In the pictures, officials can be seen putting the packets on the ground and officials spraying a burning catalyst on the packets.
Debidamente embalada y custodiada trasladamos la droga hacia el predio Changallo para su destrucci¨®n. pic.twitter.com/fo40TCvSyC
¡ª PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) September 2, 2022
Once that is done, the officials then up the packets on torch. Seconds later, giant flames are seen engulfing the cocaine.
El Salvador's sweeping gang crackdown
This follows a sweeping gang crackdown in El Salvador in response to a spike in crimes in March this year. The government blamed the spike in murders on criminal gangs in the country, resulting in the country's legislature approving a state of emergency that suspended the rights of association and legal counsel, and increased the time spent in detention without charge.
The country has arrested some 50,000 suspected gang members since President Nayib Bukele launched a "war" on criminal groups terrorizing the country.
The small Central American country has also increased sentences for gang membership five-fold, to up to 45 years.
To house part of the detainees, Bukele ordered the construction of a gigantic prison for 40,000 gang members in a rural area of the city of Tecoluca, in the centre of the country, which should be ready before the end of the year.
In different operations, the police and the army have seized more than a million dollars, in addition to 1,283 weapons.
More than 1,500 vehicles, as well as drugs and cell phones, have also been seized.
The wave of detentions is unprecedented in the country of 6.5 million people, who have suffered decades of violent crime driven by powerful gangs such as MS-13 and Barrio 18.
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