SANTO DOMINGO. - The American company owner of a twin-engine plane seized in Puerto Plata International Airport (north) during an FBI sweep of cocaine traffickers from Venezuela and Mexico to the Dominican Republic, sold it to another Venezuelan company despite that is still retained.

Planes and Parts Enterprises, the target of a money-laundering probe after an international operation of the FBI and the DEA against planes used by drug traffickers, sold the aircraft to All Trading, of Venezuela. The first began to request the plane retained in May, 2007 and has continued the effort through the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), which served notice on the Justice Ministry, noting that it doesn’t object its release.

Yesterday the IDAC – which had fined the craft for an expired registry- stated that the notification doesn’t imply that it is seeking its release, and instead going on record that it has no reason to retain the aircraft, involved in the investigation which led to the confiscation of 50 other small planes.

The plane, which came to the country through Puerto Plata’s airport, was targeted by FBI agents in the probe aimed at dismantling the money laundering and cocaine shipping network.

SOURCE: eldia.com.do