Gambia police seize 2.5 tonnes of cocaine worth $1 billion, arrest 12

[Deletedid1]

BANJUL: Gambian police seized 2.5 tonnes of cocaine bound for Europe and arrested a dozen suspected traffickers after a joint investigation with British detectives, a security source said on Tuesday.

West Africa has become a major transit point for Latin American narcotics as smugglers take advantage of generally weak surveillance in the vast region.

The cocaine, which has an estimated street value of around $1 billion, was found over the weekend hidden in a warehouse outside Gambia's capital Banjul, the source told Reuters.

He said a cache of guns and money was also seized. Gambian authorities began making arrests related to the case in mid-May and subsequently invited Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency to help, the source said.

[Sneha Chowdary]

1B$ aa.... hitwalltwice !q#