MEXICO.- "We have statements, but we do not have this information in a formal manner, who were the passengers if there were any. They say that when they arrived to the place where the plane had landed, there were no passengers or crew, and this information was the last we knew on behalf of the SCT (Secretary of Communications and Transport),
that the passengers and crew provided false information", Manuel Angel Osorio Chong, Secretary of Government in Mexico gave the previous statement when questioned about the plane the Venezuelan government took down under suspicions of a drug trafficking operation.
This happened last November 5th, when Venezuela informed that they had immobilized a plane in the Arupe region. The plane had been destroyed because of alleged links to organized crime. Later on the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, added that the plane was full of cocaine.
Because of this, there was a rumor that one of the people on board the plane was Rafael Caro Quintero. When this rumor started Osorio Chong pointed out that the Mexican government demanded to know the number of people on board and their names, not to know whether or not Caro Quintero was on the plane.
Yesterday, Hugo Jose Garcia, Ambassador of Venezuela in Mexico went to the department of Foreign Relations to give his statement of the facts before Mexican Foreign Minister, Jose Antonio Meade.
After Nicolas Maduro reported that the plane was taken down because it was loaded with drugs, he also gave the order to inform Mexico of the detailed facts and also make sure that even the Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto, be made fully aware of all the details.
The controversy started on November 4th when an airplane coming from Mexico entered Venezuelan air space and due to not having the necessary permits it was followed for 40 minutes by the Venezuelan armed forces. Later on it was forced to land, something which happened at an undisclosed landing site. When authorities arrived on scene they found the plane without it's crew and destroyed it.
The Secretary of Communications and Transport in Mexico has corroborated that the plane was carrying 7 people who used fake ID's to board the flight.
Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com
Daniel.Aguilar@sandiegored.com
