Bolivia: Air Force captain found with large load of cocaine
Anti-narcotics police agents stand guard over a shipment of confiscated cocaine during a media presentation in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday Sept. 4, 2015. According to Bolivia’s Government Minister Carlos Romero, 362 kilograms of cocaine were seized yesterday, Thursday, during a operation in Tres Cruces at the Madidi National Park. AP
LA PAZ, Bolivia — A senior Bolivian official says an air force captain has been detained as he tried to take off from near the Peru border with 362 kilograms (796 pounds) of cocaine in his plane.
Government Minister Carlos Romero identifies the pilot as 34-year-old Yimy Jose Urzagaste.
He told a news conference Friday that the drug was destined for Brazil, where he said it would be worth more than $1 million.
Romero says officials investigated the pilot when he appeared to simulate a kidnapping and turned up hundreds of kilometers (miles) from his unit.
Officials estimate that as much as 60 percent of the cocaine intercepted in Bolivia originates in Peru.
