Brazil investigates businessmen who allegedly sent drugs to Mexico

 EFE/EL UNIVERSAL

Mexico city

Paulo Flores, Ronald Roland and Manoel Gonsalez allegedly obtained the drugs from members of Colombia's FARC and took them to Mexico for the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas on planes departing from Venezuela that passed through Honduras.

Brazilian authorities are investigating the alleged involvement of entrepreneurs in a drug trafficking network that sent cocaine produced in Colombia to Mexico through Venezuela and Honduras, apparently by bribing military and police, the newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo reported today.

According to the newspaper, the Brazilian businessmen allegedly obtained the drugs from members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and took them to Mexico on planes departing from Venezuela that passed through Honduras, bribing those responsible of air traffic in both countries.

In Mexico, the drug was received by the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas, two of the most violent drug cartels of the country.

"For each flight they paid up to US$400,000 to Venezuela military", O Estado reported based on official documents obtained by the Brazilian Federal Police.

The Brazilian entrepreneurs were identified as Paulo Flores, Ronald Roland and Manoel Gonsalez, who were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. The suspects claimed innocence.

"The airplanes landed in Aparte, in the state of Zulia, near the military base of Maracaibo" and "at least once traffickers paid an extra fee of US$100,000 to keep a plane in a hangar of the Venezuelan Army" the paper said.

In the case of Honduras, O Estado said that drug traffickers bribed police, that received up to US$200,000 per flight.

O Estado added that as part of the investigation police has seized property and other assets of the suspected drug traffickers.