Ton of Cocaine Found on Avianca 747 : Customs Seizes Colombian Cargo Plane

Federal agents seized a Colombian cargo jet today, two days after more than a ton of cocaine was found on board, in the largest aircraft seizure in the history of the U.S. Customs Service, officials said.

Customs spokesman Cliff Stallings said the $119-million jumbo jet of Avianca Airlines was seized “on the basis of Avianca having the knowledge of (the cocaine) being aboard.”

The jet was seized at 5 a.m., about three hours after it landed at Miami International Airport, said Robert Battard, regional Customs commissioner.

Value Put at $600 Million

On Feb. 13, Customs agents discovered that 2,478 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $600 million in street value was hidden in boxes among a shipment of cut flowers from Bogota, Colombia, the agency said.

Customs officials did not announce the cocaine seizure at that time, or keep the jet from making a subsequent trip in and out of Miami, so that agents of the drug-fighting South Florida Task Force could conduct an investigation.

“We wanted to develop some more information on people that were involved,” Battard said. He refused to comment on whether any principals of the Colombian airline were involved.

Stallings said the jet definitely will “be out of commission” for some time. Even if the company is cleared by the task force’s investigation, Stallings said it will cost the company “a very substantial penalty, well over a million dollars I would guess” to get the plane back.

No one has been charged in the case, but the Customs officials said they expect some arrests soon.

The jet was seized under provisions of the Tariff Act, the Transportation Act and the Controlled Substances Act. They provide for the seizure of conveyances used in the transportation, concealment and importation of controlled substances, officials said.

Customs has seized other commercial cargo planes under these provisions in the past, but the Avianca 747 is the largest to date, the agency said.