Venezuela confirms shooting down plane near Aruba

[reorg]

Source: The Hindu

Reuters

Venezuela said on Friday it shot down a civilian plane after it ignored communications off its Caribbean coast near the island of Aruba, but denied any violation of international airspace.

Authorities on Aruba, a semi-autonomous island that is part of the kingdom of the Netherlands, had said on Thursday the aircraft being pursued by Venezuelan military jets went down off its coast, with human remains and packages of drugs visible in the water.

Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino told reporters the plane, which first landed in Apure state, was shot down after ignoring communications on takeoff.

...

The plane was U.S.-licensed, and 400 drug packages, mostly of cocaine, were found near the wreckage, Aruba officials said on Friday.



Read more: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/venezuela-confirms-shooting-down-plane-near-aruba/article6841891.ece?homepage=true

[Archae]

1. I'm not surprised by this...

And I don't blame the VZ government for shooting the plane down.

Although I've read smugglers don't use planes too much anymore, they are just too visible.

They make their own submarines or near-submarines. (!)

[forest444]

2. Mitch McCocaine's double chin must be getting real sweaty right bout now:

http://m.thenation.com/article/186689-mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company

[FLPanhandle]

3. It should be pretty obvious from the wreakage if the plane was in international airspace or not

Even if it was out of Venezuelian territory when shot down, the world is better off with the drugs and the smugglers.