March 11, 2005

Our Friends the Saudis

Charles at LGF links to a very interesting story of Cocaine, the abuse of Diplomatic Immunity and corruption at high levels in the Saudi Royal Family: From the article at the Herald Tribune:
Two-ton cocaine load shipped under Saudi prince's protection
Federal prosecutors are tying a Saudi prince with diplomatic immunity to a 2-ton Colombian cocaine smuggling run from Venezuela to Paris on his personal aircraft and $10 million in artwork seized by drug agents pursuing the prince's ex-girlfriend.
The build-up of the case:
As Lopez attorney Alan Soven told it, Usuga's offer was simple.

"I can get you the biggest fish in the world. How would you like a Saudi prince?" Soven said. "In their excitement to get the prince, they made a deal with the devil."
The evidence and the Prince:
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Selmore said there is plenty of physical evidence, such as passport stamps, hotel receipts and photos from a desert encampment, from 1998 meetings in Saudi Arabia, Aruba and Venezuela to plot the cocaine delivery to a stash house in suburban Paris in 1999.

The interception of a cocaine courier at the Spanish border sent investigators backtracking to the French house, 1,769 pounds of cocaine and loads of suitcases used to smuggle the cocaine, Selmore said.

"The facade of legitimacy that these two defendants have build around themselves began to crumble," she said.

Lopez had approached Usuga with a proposition for flying cocaine on the plane used by Saudi prince and Swiss banker Nayef bin Sultan bin Fawwaz Al-Shaalan, Selmore charged. After marrying a royal princess, he flew the world with an entourage of dozens and diplomatic immunity that avoided luggage inspections.
Whoops... Time to clean house there King Fahd... UPDATE: The DEA website has info as well. This is from a few years ago but it covers the start of the investigation. Posted by DaveH at March 11, 2005 11:16 PM
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