On August 4, Brazilian police found 1.3 tons of cocaine aboard a private Gulfstream IV aircraft (registration number TC-GVA) owned by the Turkish company ACM Holding, which was leased by a Spanish citizen. The plane took off from Fortaleza to Brussels Airport.
The plane took off from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to Malaga (Spain) on Monday, August 2, and the same evening at Pinto Martins – Fortaleza International Airport in Brazil. The Turkish plane was a former plane of the Prime Minister of Turkey with TC-ATA registration.
Brazilian police have been informed that cocaine will be on board the plane when it takes off from Fortaleza. Fortaleza airport officers asked a lone passenger to open his suitcase. It was full of cocaine. And it turned out that the suitcase with white powder on board was even bigger.
Türk iş jetinde onlarca valiz dolusu kokain yakalandı. Brezilya Fortaleza Havalimanı’ndan Belçika’ya uçacak olan yolcunun olduğu iddia edilen kokainlere el konuldu. Yolcu ve pilotlar gözaltına alındı pic.twitter.com/NymFfU0XaJ
— Ali KIDIK (@alikdk) August 4, 2021
50 packages of cocaine were found in 24 suitcases, only 1.3 tons of cocaine. The retail value of the drug is about 65 million euros. The police operation was videotaped.
Olaya bak! Brezilya, özel bir Türk jetinde valizlerin içine saklanmış halde 1.3 ton kokain yakalamış. pic.twitter.com/yKZ0mkl6be
— AKP Çocukları (@AkpCocuklari) August 4, 2021
According to the Belgian newspapers De Tijd and L’Echo, Brazilian police confirmed that the private plane was heading to Brussels. Brazilian media write that the stop was also planned in Lisbon, Portugal.
De Tijd / L’Echo learned that the Spanish passenger had a passport issued in Belgium. The man came from the province of Liège.
According to the Brazilian newspaper Globo, the evidence showed that the Turkish pilot also knew about the transportation of drugs. He was also arrested.
ACM Holding, the owner of the aircraft, issued a written statement on the cocaine scandal, which states that his plane was rented by a passenger who has a Spanish passport. “The customer and his personal belongings have nothing to do with our company or flight crew, and the inspection of passengers’ belongings is entirely the responsibility of the airport,” the company said.