Colombian authorities seize container with $23 million
Colombian customs officers have detained in the port of Buonaventura a container from Mexico with about $23 million hidden in cargo, Mexican television reported.
"The money was hidden in sacks with ammonium nitrate shipped to a Colombian firm which manufactures laundry products," Nestor Dias, the head of the Customs Service, said in a TV news report.
He said the money was sent by a drug cartel as payment for a previous narcotics shipment, and the customs officers acted on a tip from Colombian security agencies.
He also said the confiscated stash was handed over to Colombia`s National Bank and will be used to build 320 apartments for poor people.
Colombia is the world`s largest cocaine supplier with at least 600 metric tons (1.3 million lbs) of the drug produced annually, most of which finds its way to the U.S. and European markets.
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