Six held in France over record cocaine bust

Six people are being held in France in connection with the seizure of 1.3 tonnes of cocaine stashed in suitcases on an Air France flight from Venezuela, police said today.
The arrests in France followed Venezuela's announcement yesterday that three members of their security services had been detained on suspicion of involvement in smuggling that led to the biggest cocaine seizure ever on French soil.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of 200 million euros (USD 270m) were found inside 30 suitcases on a Caracas-Paris flight, according to French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who announced the seizure on Saturday.

Venezuela's justice and interior minister, Miguel Rodriguez, said yesterday that an officer from the anti-drug unit of the Bolivarian National Guard and two National Guard sergeants had been arrested.
Rodriguez said it was highly likely the smugglers had accomplices within Air France working with them. The airline has ordered an internal investigation into the incident.
Police sources said none of the six people who have been detained in France were French nationals. Under special powers used for investigations involving organised crime, they can be held for up to 96 hours without charge.
The record seizure followed an investigation lasting several weeks which also involved British, Dutch and Spanish police.

Cocaine comes from coca leaves grown in countries like Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Venezuela does not produce cocaine, according to United Nationals monitors, but traffickers do use its ports and airports to smuggle drugs to consumer countries.