Page 12 - aruba-today-20180127

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 27 January 2018

Secret report: Argentine police

Honduras’ new top cop helped cartel move coke raid naval base in
submarine case

tecting the cocaine was BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
later put on leave before (AP) — Federal police of-
becoming a sitting judge. ficers raided naval bases
Three other current and for- and other buildings in Ar-
mer high-ranking Honduran gentina on Friday as part
security and police officials of an investigation into the
confirmed elements of the disappearance of a sub-
report. They spoke on con- marine with 44 crewmem-
dition of anonymity for fear bers.The raids at the sub’s
of violent reprisals. home base in the coastal
Also, former and current city of Mar del Plata, in
U.S. law enforcement offi- Buenos Aires and near the
cers and a U.S. prosecutor city of Bahia Blanca, were
reviewed the document for ordered by Federal Judge
AP and said it appeared Marta Yanez, who told lo-
genuine. cal TN television that she
For years the U.S. military wants to review docu-
and law enforcement have ments focused on the con-
partnered with the Hondu- dition of the vessel before it
ran National Police and se- began its journey. She also
curity forces, trying to stop said that she wants to look
narcotraffickers from mov- into possible faults in the
ing an estimated 3 tons a midlife refit of the subma-
In this Jan. 15, 2018 photo, Honduras’ new national Police Chief Jose David Aguilar Moran, center, month of U.S.-bound co- rine.
leaves after a ceremony that transferred command to him in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. caine. At the same time, A blast occurred near the
(AP Photo) the U.S. is backing efforts time and place where the
By CHRIST SHERMAN, was later caught with an- “We do not have in hand to clean up a corrupt po- ARA San Juan went miss-
MARTHA MENDOZA other cocaine load, extra- today any information that lice department and has ing Nov. 15 as it was sailing
and GARANCE BURKE dited to the U.S. and is now says Commissioner Aguilar begun extraditing Hondu- from the extreme southern
Associated Press serving a 20-year sentence Moran is a drug trafficker ran police into American port of Ushuaia to Mar del
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The in U.S. prison. or collaborator of the drug courts where they are pros- Plata. Argentina gave up
newly appointed national But Chief Aguilar’s involve- cartels,” Rivera told local ecuted. hope of finding survivors,
police chief in Honduras, ment, documented in an reporters. “We are going “There is so much illegal but the navy has contin-
a key ally in the U.S. war internal report, was never to conduct an exhaustive drug money to be made ued searching for the ves-
on drugs, helped a cartel publicly reported. And last investigation.” and it is so easy to get away sel.
leader pull off the delivery week, in a solemn cere- The commission scheduled with it, especially if you are The German-built diesel-
of nearly a ton of cocaine, mony, Honduran President a meeting to discuss the in the police force,” U.S. electric TR-1700 class sub-
according to a confidential Juan Orlando Hernandez subject Friday. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) marine was commissioned
security report obtained by promoted him to the na- AP did not share the copy said when asked about in the mid-80’s and was
the Associated Press. tion’s top cop, saying that of the Honduran Security Aguilar’s appointment. most recently refitted be-
Chief Jose David Aguilar the appointment would Ministry’s Inspector General “Much more needs to be tween 2008 and 2014. Dur-
Moran, who was sworn in further his years-long effort report that mentions Agui- known about him given ing the $12 million retrofit-
last week, called off local to root out corruption and lar out of security concerns, the history of the Honduran ting, the vessel was cut in
cops who had just busted modernize the force. but described its contents police and its connections half and had its engines
a truckload of cocaine es- “We are in a process of to government officials. to organized crime, before and batteries replaced.
corted by police officers transforming the National The Honduran government there can be confidence Experts say refits can be
in 2013, the report says. Police,” the president said. declared it a fake and said that he has the integrity to difficult because they in-
Aguilar, who was working On Friday, Omar Rivera, the incident didn’t happen. lead that institution.” volve integrating systems
his way up department a member of the special Aguilar did not respond to Here’s how the inspector produced by different
ranks at the time, ordered commission that says it has requests for comment. general report describes manufacturers, and even
the lower-level officers to purged more than 4,000 But an ex-member of the the alleged crime: the tiniest mistake during
let the drugs and cops members of the National National Police with knowl- Aguilar ordered the imme- the cutting phase can put
go, which they did. The Police for reasons ranging edge of the investigation diate release of the officers the safety of the ship and
U.S. street value of the co- from corruption to restruc- confirmed officials found and the cocaine, and they crew at risk.
caine involved could have turing and voluntary retire- that Aguilar and other top complied. Some hours later, an ex-
topped $20 million. ment, said it had no infor- officers conspired to cover Investigators wanted to plosion was detected
Cartel boss Wilter Blanco, mation about the incident up the incident, and that understand why Aguilar near the time and place
who was running the drugs, involving Aguilar Moran. a high-ranking officer pro- intervened.q where the San Juan was
last heard from. The navy
Brazil to vaccinate 23.8 million against yellow fever says the blast could have
been caused by a “con-
centration of hydrogen”
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil is is the largest ever using re- an unusually large out- Some 23.8 million people triggered by the battery
vaccinating more than 20 duced doses that provide break last year, including in in Rio de Janeiro, Sao problem reported by the
million people against yel- short-term coverage but areas that don’t usually see Paulo and Bahia states will captain. President Mauri-
low fever to control a bud- cover more people with cases. The Health Ministry be vaccinated in coming cio Macri has promised a
ding outbreak. the same amount of vac- says 130 cases have been weeks, most with fractional full investigation, and the
The World Health Organi- cine. confirmed and 53 people doses. The WHO says a one- government recently dis-
zation says that the cam- Yellow fever is common in have died in the current fifth dose provides immuni- missed the head of its navy
paign that began Thursday Brazil, but the country saw outbreak. ty for at least 12 months.q as part of the probe.q