Page 12 - aruba-today-20180728

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 28 July 2018
Extraordinary drug dog worries Colombian cartel

By MANUEL RUEDA drug policy office.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) President-elect Ivan Duque
— This is the story of a drug is promising a tougher ap-
dog with a bounty on its proach to speed up eradi-
head. cation with strategies that
Sombra, a six-year-old Ger- could include aerial spray-
man shepherd, has helped ing and the use of drones.
Colombia's police detect But even with advanced
more than 2,000 kilos of co- technology, experts say
caine hidden in suitcases, on-the-ground detective
boats and large shipments work like that performed by
of fruit. Sombra is critical.
But as the dog sniffs her way Some of Sombra's recent
toward record cocaine in- busts include uncovering
terdictions, she has also be- over five tons of Gulf Clan
come the latest target of cocaine destined for Eu-
Colombia's most powerful rope and concealed in
drug gang. crates of bananas. Officers
Colombian police recent- also credit her incredible
ly revealed that the Gulf nose with more than 245
Clan, a cartel that boasts drug-related arrests at two
its own guerrilla army, has of Colombia's biggest inter-
offered a reward of $7,000 national airports.
to whoever kills or captures "Her sense of smell is far be-
the savvy hound. yond that of other dogs,"
The threat prompted of- Drug dog Sombra, has helped detect more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine hidden in suitcases, boats Rojas said.
ficials to relocate Sombra and shipments of fruit, sits outside the police station in Bogota, Colombia. Drug cartels like the Gulf
— whose name in Span- Associated Press Clan have taken note.
ish means Shadow — from After learning there was a
a busy port on Colombia's van with tinted windows ever as Colombia wrestles percent in 2017 to 209,000 price on Sombra's head,
Caribbean coast to the back to her kennel. She is with soaring coca produc- hectares (516,450 acres), Colombia's national police
capital city, where she now usually accompanied by tion that is testing tradi- despite $10 billion in U.S. director ordered her to be
uses her extraordinary tal- two armed guards. tionally close relations with counter-narcotics work. transferred to a new post
ent to sniff through suspi- "We are responsible for her the United States. A recent "President Trump's mes- earlier this year, accord-
cious cargo at Bogota's El safety," said officer Jose White House report found sage to Colombia is clear: ing to local news reports.
Dorado International Air- Rojas, Sombra's 25-year-old the amount of land where The record growth in co- Investigators uncovered
port. handler. peasants and drug traffick- caine production must be the threat against Sombra
After her six hour shift is over, Sombra's detective work ers harvest the plant used reversed," warned Jim Car- through an intercepted
Sombra is transported in a is needed now more than to make cocaine rose 11 roll, deputy director for the phone call.q
Brazil's Lula to revoke privatizations through referendums

By MAURICIO SAVARESE tion. He can still appeal the Gomes is seen as a poten-
Associated Press decision, which he deems tial heir to da Silva's votes
SAO PAULO (AP) — Bra- to be political persecution. and also made the same
zil's jailed former President "I have the historical obli- anti-privatization pledges a
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gation, no matter what my few weeks ago.
pledged on Friday to block personal circumstances In a letter to Boeing, Gomes
or undo privatizations if he now, of conducting our said it is "a grave incon-
is returned to the office he country to a reencounter venience" that Embraer is
held from 2003 to 2010. with democracy and sov- bought 100 days before
Da Silva will likely be barred ereignty, with a clear com- Brazil's presidential elec-
from running for the presi- mitment to revoke through tions.
dency again by Brazil's a popular referendum ev- Earlier this week, a state-
electoral court, but his ery measure that damages run energy company in the
statements are seen as the our independence," da state of Piaui was sold in
program of his left-leaning Silva wrote. what was considered the
Workers' Party ahead of In this July 8, 2018 photo, supporter of former Brazilian President Media in Brazil media have kick-off of the process to
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves banner decorated with an image
October's elections. depicting da Silva and message that reads in Portuguese: "Free reported that former Sao privatize Eletrobras.
In an article published in Lula," in Curitiba, Brazil. Paulo Mayor Fernando Members of the Temer ad-
the newspaper Correio Associated Press Haddad is the Workers' ministration say the mea-
Braziliense, da Silva said he Party favorite to replace sure is necessary so Brazil
would reverse the ongoing Temer has pushed forward joint venture that gives da Silva as candidate if the can reduce its budget
process to privatize state- with plans to sell Eletrobras Boeing control of Brazilian former president is indeed deficit and boost its private
run energy company Ele- and several members of plane-maker Embraer. The barred. sector, while critics believe
trobras. He also criticized his administration believe former president vowed to Brazil's October election will selling Eletrobras will give
politicians who contend Petrobras should be priva- halt the move. take place on Oct.7. the country's waters away
that oil giant Petrobras tized. Da Silva leads the polls Though a member of an- to foreign companies. Bra-
needs to be sold. Da Silva also criticized Te- despite his corruption and other party, left-leaning zil's main energy source is
Unpopular President Michel mer's decision to allow a money laundering convic- presidential hopeful Ciro hydroelectricity.q