Money In The Sky: $1 Million Dollars in Drug Money is Dropped From Plane in Bolivia
CNN reports that more than $1 Million dollars rained from the sky earlier this week in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
The authorities say that they seized the money after an individual was witnessed signaling to a low flying aircraft, which then threw down 26 white plastic bags filled with cash.
Anti-drug police suspected that the money was intended for a drug deal, to set up a bogus commercial business, or to fuel a cocaine production center. BBC reported that the money bore the seal of an unidentified Paraguayan bank, and happened to be U.S. currency.
The Ministry, an organization that is in the political fight against drugs stated, "There were 10,000 $100 bills, 1,000 $50 bills, 1,000 $20 bill, and 1,000 $10 bills."
Police were able to capture the three men responsible for the attempted exchange, and in addition to claiming the assailants' drug money, they were also able to confiscate three cell phones, two rifles, two cars and a machine gun near the town of Rincon del Tigre.
The police witnessed the drop and had been monitoring the men for quite some time. The police believe that the men are well connected to other countries, and that they are well organized.
The Bolivian Government has requested information from Paraguay about its private bank so they can find out more about where the money came from, though the name of the bank has yet to be revealed.
Eastern Santa Cruz, near the borders of and Paraguay -where the operation went down is a hot spot for the country's favorite illegal pastime, the production of Cocaine. Bolivia is one of top three producers of cocaine in the world, alongside Peru and Colombia. While the coca leaf, from which the drug is harnessed, is legal in small doses, the production of cocaine is illegal.