This is the plane seized and its crew, two Bahamians, was escorted to the U.S.
SANTO DOMINGO.- The Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) seeks the return of a twin-engine plane seized last year together with more than 50 craft during a gigantic Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) operation to dismantle a fleet owned by traffickers who shipped drugs to the United States.
The airplane was retained over a year ago in Puerto Plata’s International Airport (north) after an undercover operation headed by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other authorities.
Civil Aeronautics sent the notification papers signed by its director Jose Tomas Perez, without being requested by any antinarcotics authority, and states that it didn’t object the return of the plane registry N-1100-M, which is part of the group seized by the FBI and the DEA.
On September 2006 the U.S. authorities established that the twin-engine plane King Air E90 was used to transport large amounts of cocaine from Venezuela to Guatemala and Dominican Republic.
FBI agent Michael Hoenigman headed the effort to indict the Venezuelan Pedro Jose Benavides Natera, arrested January last year in Miami. He allegedly operated under the orders of the also Venezuelan Carlos Ayala Lara, said to be the ringleader of an operation to channel the money from Venezuelan traffickers through an exchange house in Mexico.
The indictment states that an informant assured that a drug trafficker named Tony contracted Ayala’s services in 2006 to help him buy the airplane currently at Puerto Plata’s airport.
The plane was finally bought by the Doral-based company Planes and Parts LLC Enterprises, which now seeks the aircraft’s return through the IDAC.
Bit despite a visit by DEA and FBI agents to the IDAC director several weeks ago to inform him on the implications of the retained aircraft, the official last week issued the notification to support the company’s request.
The unusual request prompted the U.S. embassy to send a missive citing IDAC’s notification, and noted that the U.S.-registry airplane was seized in an FBI operation with Dominican authorities.
SOURCE: eldia.com.do
From: United States, Faber College Double Secret Probation
Give this plane to a needy Dominican probably a senator
Written by: telemeco, 3 Nov 2009 8:02 AM
From: United States, Paterson, New Jersey
Give it to the FAD
Written by: riosm, 3 Nov 2009 9:08 AM
From: United States
Things that makes you go Hum !
Written by: Cacique, 3 Nov 2009 9:35 AM
From: Dominican Republic
The idac head is one strange fellow, his vowed friendship with the sinister gomez mazara is the tip-off.
Written by: xwill7, 3 Nov 2009 10:37 AM
From: United States, Chicago
donate it to air dominicana
From: United States, Reality Check
Way-to-go F.B.I. and US DEA... don't give a damn thing back! You have done a good job with the sweep so now don't screw up this "win". Just because a RD Gov official is corrupt and been bought off to sign off on this request does NOT mean that you have to honor it.
if this plane like others was used in drug transports and crossed the line.. then it is fair game to be recaptured.
Everyone knows that if we give it back it will show up 7 years from now in another drug sweep! WTF!
Written by: Gringo_1, 3 Nov 2009 10:53 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Maimon (Bonao)
@JD
Your are too forgiving, it will be immediately returned to service.
From: United States, Faber College Double Secret Probation
JD it is amazing they took time away from their laptops
From: United States, Rock Hills, North Carolina
If the plane was seized in the DR; then theoretically the Civil Aviation Authority can have a claim to it. But if a third party bought the aircraft at an auction; then it is unclear why the IDAC would intercede on their favor. It is ineed fishy...
Written by: zak325, 3 Nov 2009 12:48 PM
From: United States
If that airplane sold for somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000,(about what it's worth) I bet some government official was promised a 10% fee for getting the plane released, that's a pretty good propina.
From: United States, "La matabugas, matabocones, matacobardes y azarosos".
I am not surprise the US wants to keep these planes. WELL THEY SHOULDN'!!
The planes should be return to the Dominicans for the Dominican population is the ones suffering the consequences.
It seems to me that lately US agencies including DEA, local cities and county narcotics agents and precincts in the US are acting like PIRATES.
They ambush drug dealer houses with the main purpose of stealing the drug dealer's possessions like, expensive cellular phones, plasma TVs, computers, monitors, printer scanners, etc. for their own personal use.
I've been hearing more and more about this all throughout the states. These narcotics officers go to houses wth no warrants and they only report the less important items and take home the nice ones!
From: United States
Venezuelan drug trafficker LOL... These guys are small time LMFAO...
From: United States, Fresh Water Paradise-NY Finger Lakes
Not only would I not give plane back, but I would advocate revoking the US visa of most politicians and DNCD personnel.
With advent of drugs, DR's future is now totally doomed, for drug money lure is viral and ruthless; pretty soon people will kill their own mothers for it.
I see not much good in DR's future, until some kind of revolution takes place and many are strung from the ubiquitous lamp posts, with a very speedy trial-of course, and some kind of rule is established. Sad to say, but I suppose our people are condemned to the "strong man rule"; possibly nothing else would work in a country with so many predisposed to corruption and crime.
Written by: riosm, 3 Nov 2009 11:45 PM
From: United States
Glomarexplorer,
I agree with you!
May I add.....
Money.........The root of all evil.
With money comes power, power corrupts, total power self destructs....
Dom. Rep. the future Mexico.
GOD save the DR, from itself.
Smaller
Bigger
Close Gallery
Facebook
Digg this
del.icio.us
Technorati
Yahoo
if this plane like others was used in drug transports and crossed the line.. then it is fair game to be recaptured.
Everyone knows that if we give it back it will show up 7 years from now in another drug sweep! WTF!
Your are too forgiving, it will be immediately returned to service.
The planes should be return to the Dominicans for the Dominican population is the ones suffering the consequences.
It seems to me that lately US agencies including DEA, local cities and county narcotics agents and precincts in the US are acting like PIRATES.
They ambush drug dealer houses with the main purpose of stealing the drug dealer's possessions like, expensive cellular phones, plasma TVs, computers, monitors, printer scanners, etc. for their own personal use.
I've been hearing more and more about this all throughout the states. These narcotics officers go to houses wth no warrants and they only report the less important items and take home the nice ones!
With advent of drugs, DR's future is now totally doomed, for drug money lure is viral and ruthless; pretty soon people will kill their own mothers for it.
I see not much good in DR's future, until some kind of revolution takes place and many are strung from the ubiquitous lamp posts, with a very speedy trial-of course, and some kind of rule is established. Sad to say, but I suppose our people are condemned to the "strong man rule"; possibly nothing else would work in a country with so many predisposed to corruption and crime.
I agree with you!
May I add.....
Money.........The root of all evil.
With money comes power, power corrupts, total power self destructs....
Dom. Rep. the future Mexico.
GOD save the DR, from itself.