Difference between revisions of "2007 Yucatan Gulfstream drug crash"
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|image=yucatan-coke-crash.jpg | |image=yucatan-coke-crash.jpg | ||
|image_width=366px | |image_width=366px | ||
+ | |abbreviation=Cocaine 2 | ||
|start=September 24, 2007 | |start=September 24, 2007 | ||
|end=September 24, 2007 | |end=September 24, 2007 | ||
− | |constitutes=mid-level deep event, plane crash, drug trafficking | + | |fatalities=0 |
+ | |injuries=4 | ||
+ | |constitutes=mid-level deep event, plane crash, drug bust, drug trafficking | ||
|description=A plane used by the CIA for [[rendition]], which later crashed in Mexico, with tons of [[cocaine]] aboard. | |description=A plane used by the CIA for [[rendition]], which later crashed in Mexico, with tons of [[cocaine]] aboard. | ||
|locations=Yucatan, Mexico | |locations=Yucatan, Mexico | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | The '''2007 Yucatan Gulfstream drug crash''' took place on 24 September, when a [[CIA]] connected US-registered Gulfstream II (tailnumber '''N987SA''') crashed in the [[Mexican]] jungle. [[Daniel Hopsicker]] dubbed | + | The '''2007 Yucatan Gulfstream drug crash''' took place on 24 September, when a [[CIA]] connected<ref>[[Daniel Hopsicker]] has well explained why the plane would not actually be directly "owned" by the CIA</ref> US-registered Gulfstream II (tailnumber '''N987SA''') crashed in the [[Mexican]] jungle. [[Daniel Hopsicker]] dubbed it "'''Cocaine 2'''"<ref name=mcp13/> since it had tons of [[cocaine]] on board, and crashed the year after another [[2006 Mexico DC-9 drug bust|CIA plane drug bust]] that he had dubbed "Cocaine 1". All four crew members survived the crash but were too heavily injured to flee.<ref>https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070924-0 saved at [http://web.archive.org/web/20071114210110/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070924-0 Archive.org] saved at [http://archive.ph/BeaVt Archive.is]</ref> |
==Official narrative== | ==Official narrative== | ||
− | A Gulfstream II business jet crashed in the Yucatan, [[Mexico]], with somewhere between 3 and 6.3 tonnes of [[cocaine]] on board. Although the | + | A Gulfstream II business jet crashed in the Yucatan, [[Mexico]], with somewhere between 3 and 6.3 tonnes of [[cocaine]] on board. Although the [[CIA]] had formerly used the plane for "[[extraordinary rendition]]" to [[Guantanamo Bay]], [[FAA]] records show that it had been sold multiple times since, and it was owned by [[Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman]]'s [[Sinaloa Cartel]] when it crashed. Documents show{{which}} that the CIA no longer owned the plane when it crashed, so this is a chance occurrence which provides no evidence that the [[CIA/Drug trafficking|CIA is involved in drug smuggling]]. [[Wikipedia]] used to mention this crash, but never gave it its own page, and all references to it were removed in October 2016 with the claim that "The McClatchy article should be good, yet it cites [[Daniel Hopsicker]]'s website for its information." (The [[internet archive]]'s recording of that page as of 13 October 2007 does not mention Hopsicker's name).<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20071013043633/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20060.html saved at [http://archive.ph/iMe0v Archive.is]</ref> |
===Wikipedia=== | ===Wikipedia=== | ||
− | [[Wikipedia]] used to mention this crash on its page about aircraft used for [[rendition]], but this was deleted in October 2016.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rendition_aircraft&diff=761105036&oldid=743415960</ref> It stated that "The aircraft departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in [[Florida]], USA, on September 18 for Cancun, Mexico, then flew on to [[Colombia]] to pick up the load of cocaine from the [[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia|FARC]] rebel group before returning to Mexico. Bribes paid to local civil aviation officials in Cancun were supposed to allow the aircraft and its cargo to avoid customs on arrival, but only minutes from landing, Bermúdez personally phoned co-pilot Muñoz and demanded the crew divert to Manzanillo, over 1500 km to the west, on Mexico's Pacific coast. The flight had been tracked by the [[Mexican Air Force]] since it entered Mexican airspace and a heavy military presence was waiting for them on the ground at Cancun. When the Gulfstream deviated from its approach to Cancun, Mexican Air Force aircraft which had been shadowing it moved in to intercept. Trapped, the Gulfstream crew put their aircraft into orbit over the town of Tixkobob near Mérida in northwestern Yucatan for almost two hours before finally crash-landing in the jungle." | + | [[Wikipedia]] used to mention this crash on its page about aircraft used for [[rendition]], but this was deleted in October 2016.<ref name=wpdel>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rendition_aircraft&diff=761105036&oldid=743415960 saved at [https://archive.ph/cG7ED Archive.is]</ref> It stated that "The aircraft departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in [[Florida]], USA, on September 18 for Cancun, Mexico, then flew on to [[Colombia]] to pick up the load of cocaine from the [[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia|FARC]] rebel group before returning to Mexico. Bribes paid to local civil aviation officials in Cancun were supposed to allow the aircraft and its cargo to avoid customs on arrival, but only minutes from landing, Bermúdez personally phoned co-pilot Muñoz and demanded the crew divert to Manzanillo, over 1500 km to the west, on Mexico's Pacific coast. The flight had been tracked by the [[Mexican Air Force]] since it entered Mexican airspace and a heavy military presence was waiting for them on the ground at Cancun. When the Gulfstream deviated from its approach to Cancun, Mexican Air Force aircraft which had been shadowing it moved in to intercept. Trapped, the Gulfstream crew put their aircraft into orbit over the town of Tixkobob near Mérida in northwestern Yucatan for almost two hours before finally crash-landing in the jungle." |
==The crash== | ==The crash== | ||
[[image:yucatan-coke.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right]] | [[image:yucatan-coke.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right]] | ||
− | On September 24, 2007, just before dawn<ref name=mcp13>http://www.madcowprod.com/2013/09/27/six-years-on-the-mysterious-crash-of-cocaine2/</ref>, a US registered Gulfstream II, [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070924-0%3E&lang=fr/ N987SA ], c/n 172, crashed in the [[Yucatan]], Mexico, carrying at least 3 tons of [[cocaine]]. [[Daniel Hopsicker]] reports 4 tonnes,<ref name=mcp13/> but one source suggesting as many as 6 tonnes.<ref name="noticaribe.com.mx">[http://www.noticaribe.com.mx/cancun/2007/11/investigan_pgr_en_el_aeropuerto.html Cancún: Investigan PGR en el aeropuerto]</ref><ref>[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bc5_1190728764 LiveLeak.com - Huge Cocaine Haul As Plane Crashes In Jungle]</ref> One source suggested that the flight was "being chased by Mexican military helicopters for flying illegally into Mexican airspace".<ref>https://cranialgas.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/cia-aircraft-with-32-tons-of-coke-crashes-in-yucatan/</ref> | + | On September 24, 2007, just before dawn<ref name=mcp13>http://www.madcowprod.com/2013/09/27/six-years-on-the-mysterious-crash-of-cocaine2/</ref>, a US registered Gulfstream II, [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070924-0%3E&lang=fr/ N987SA ], c/n 172, crashed in the [[Yucatan]], Mexico, carrying at least 3 tons of [[cocaine]]. [[Daniel Hopsicker]] reports 4 tonnes,<ref name=mcp13/> but one source suggesting as many as 6 tonnes.<ref name="noticaribe.com.mx">[http://web.archive.org/web/20071217031822/http://www.noticaribe.com.mx/cancun/2007/11/investigan_pgr_en_el_aeropuerto.html Cancún: Investigan PGR en el aeropuerto] saved at [http://archive.ph/9ILZT Archive.is]</ref><ref>[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bc5_1190728764 LiveLeak.com - Huge Cocaine Haul As Plane Crashes In Jungle]</ref> One source suggested that the flight was "being chased by Mexican military helicopters for flying illegally into Mexican airspace".<ref>https://cranialgas.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/cia-aircraft-with-32-tons-of-coke-crashes-in-yucatan/ saved at [http://web.archive.org/web/20200806014611/https://cranialgas.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/cia-aircraft-with-32-tons-of-coke-crashes-in-yucatan/ Archive.org] saved at [https://archive.ph/uZ3v2 Archive.is]</ref> |
− | The pilot was [[Edik Muñoz Sanchez]]<ref name=usa>http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-27-mexico-drug-plane_N.htm</ref> and the co-pilot was [[Omar Alfredo "el Piolo" Jácome del Valle]].<ref name="diariolaestrella.com">[http://www.diariolaestrella.com/2009/05/25/88262/colombiano-compra-a-policias-en.html Diario La Estrella | 05/25/2009 | Colombiano ‘compra’ a policías en México y crea narcoimperio]</ref> Mexican soldiers reached the crash site the next day and arrested them both since they were too badly injured to flee. They also recovered 132 bags containing cocaine.<ref>News, "''Mexican Aircraft Force Down Drug Running Gulfstream II''", Air Forces Monthly, Stamford, Lincs, UK, Number 236, November 2007, page 14.</ref><ref>[http://www.cronica.com.mx/ | + | The pilot was [[Edik Muñoz Sanchez]]<ref name=usa>http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-27-mexico-drug-plane_N.htm saved at [https://web.archive.org/web/20131226092826/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-27-mexico-drug-plane_N.htm Archive.org] saved at [https://archive.ph/YczPs Archive.is]</ref> and the co-pilot was [[Omar Alfredo "el Piolo" Jácome del Valle]].<ref name="diariolaestrella.com">[http://web.archive.org/web/20150610221648/http://www.diariolaestrella.com/2009/05/25/88262/colombiano-compra-a-policias-en.html Diario La Estrella | 05/25/2009 | Colombiano ‘compra’ a policías en México y crea narcoimperio] saved at [https://archive.ph/nJf6v Archive.is]</ref> Mexican soldiers reached the crash site the next day and arrested them both since they were too badly injured to flee. They also recovered 132 "military-style"<ref>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-drugs/cocaine-laden-plane-crashes-in-mexico-jungle-idUSN2435638420070924 saved at [http://web.archive.org/web/20200629043610/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-drugs/cocaine-laden-plane-crashes-in-mexico-jungle-idUSN2435638420070924 Archive.org] saved at [https://archive.ph/YlVCk Archive.is]</ref> bags containing cocaine.<ref>News, "''Mexican Aircraft Force Down Drug Running Gulfstream II''", Air Forces Monthly, Stamford, Lincs, UK, Number 236, November 2007, page 14.</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20160308120718/http://www.cronica.com.mx/notas/2007/326003.html La Crónica de Hoy | La PGR detiene a dos tripulantes del narcoavión] saved at [https://archive.ph/U4Jl Archive.is]</ref> |
==Plane history== | ==Plane history== | ||
Line 38: | Line 41: | ||
===Powell Aircraft Title=== | ===Powell Aircraft Title=== | ||
− | A bill of sale was reportedly produced stating that on September 16, 2006, it was sold on to two Americans, [[Clyde O'Connor]] and [[Greg Smith]] for $2 million, though the [[FAA]] stated that they had not received the change of ownership paperwork.<ref name=mcc>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2007/09/28/20104/drugs-on-crashed-plane-belonged.html</ref> Over the next two days, money from the Americans trust company [[Powell Aircraft Title]] was used to acquire the aircraft for the [[drug trafficker]] [[Pedro Antonio "The Architect" Bermúdez Suaza]].<ref name="diariolaestrella.com"/> | + | A bill of sale was reportedly produced stating that on September 16, 2006, it was sold on to two Americans, [[Clyde O'Connor]] and [[Greg Smith]] for $2 million, though the [[FAA]] stated that they had not received the change of ownership paperwork.<ref name=mcc>http://web.archive.org/web/20100605075036/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2007/09/28/20104/drugs-on-crashed-plane-belonged.html saved at [http://archive.ph/yFXKD Archive.is]</ref> Over the next two days, money from the Americans trust company [[Powell Aircraft Title]] was used to acquire the aircraft for the [[drug trafficker]] [[Pedro Antonio "The Architect" Bermúdez Suaza]].<ref name="diariolaestrella.com"/> |
==Fallout== | ==Fallout== | ||
− | A week later, the head of the [[Directorate General of Civil Aviation]] (DGAC) in Cancun was found shot dead after being kidnapped from a soccer match. He had reportedly refused the cocaine-carrying Gulfstream permission to land at Cancun.<ref name="noticaribe.com.mx"/><ref>[http://noticiascancun.blogspot.com.ar/2009/03/identifican-uno-de-los-verdugos-de.html Cancún Informa 新聞, ラジオ,テレビ: Identifican a uno de los verdugos de Soladana]</ref> | + | A week later, the head of the [[Directorate General of Civil Aviation]] (DGAC) in Cancun was found shot dead after being kidnapped from a soccer match. He had reportedly refused the cocaine-carrying Gulfstream permission to land at Cancun.<ref name="noticaribe.com.mx"/><ref>[http://noticiascancun.blogspot.com.ar/2009/03/identifican-uno-de-los-verdugos-de.html Cancún Informa 新聞, ラジオ,テレビ: Identifican a uno de los verdugos de Soladana] saved at [http://web.archive.org/web/20150614021329/http://noticiascancun.blogspot.com/2009/03/identifican-uno-de-los-verdugos-de.html Archive.org] saved at [http://archive.ph/cCnx Archive.is]</ref> |
+ | |||
+ | ==Cover-up== | ||
+ | A Wikipedia page about this was created on 31 October 2007. On November 5 this was removed and merged into their page on "Rendition aircraft". Mention remained about "N987SA" for some years, but was deleted in 2016; by 2019 although he redirect remained, that page had no reference to the plane.<ref name=wpdel/> | ||
==Exposure== | ==Exposure== | ||
[[image:2007 Yucatan Gulfstream drug crash cocaine2.jpg|right|288px]] | [[image:2007 Yucatan Gulfstream drug crash cocaine2.jpg|right|288px]] | ||
− | The story was | + | The story was brought to a wider audience by [[Daniel Hopsicker]] who published a retrospective in 2013, explaining about [[money laundering]].<ref>https://www.madcowprod.com/2013/09/27/six-years-on-the-mysterious-crash-of-cocaine2/</ref> |
{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
+ | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} |
Latest revision as of 14:39, 13 September 2023
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Date | September 24, 2007 |
Location | Yucatan, Mexico |
Deaths | 0 |
Injured (non-fatal) | 4 |
Abbreviation | Cocaine 2 |
Description | A plane used by the CIA for rendition, which later crashed in Mexico, with tons of cocaine aboard. |
The 2007 Yucatan Gulfstream drug crash took place on 24 September, when a CIA connected[1] US-registered Gulfstream II (tailnumber N987SA) crashed in the Mexican jungle. Daniel Hopsicker dubbed it "Cocaine 2"[2] since it had tons of cocaine on board, and crashed the year after another CIA plane drug bust that he had dubbed "Cocaine 1". All four crew members survived the crash but were too heavily injured to flee.[3]
Contents
Official narrative
A Gulfstream II business jet crashed in the Yucatan, Mexico, with somewhere between 3 and 6.3 tonnes of cocaine on board. Although the CIA had formerly used the plane for "extraordinary rendition" to Guantanamo Bay, FAA records show that it had been sold multiple times since, and it was owned by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel when it crashed. Documents show[Which?] that the CIA no longer owned the plane when it crashed, so this is a chance occurrence which provides no evidence that the CIA is involved in drug smuggling. Wikipedia used to mention this crash, but never gave it its own page, and all references to it were removed in October 2016 with the claim that "The McClatchy article should be good, yet it cites Daniel Hopsicker's website for its information." (The internet archive's recording of that page as of 13 October 2007 does not mention Hopsicker's name).[4]
Wikipedia
Wikipedia used to mention this crash on its page about aircraft used for rendition, but this was deleted in October 2016.[5] It stated that "The aircraft departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Florida, USA, on September 18 for Cancun, Mexico, then flew on to Colombia to pick up the load of cocaine from the FARC rebel group before returning to Mexico. Bribes paid to local civil aviation officials in Cancun were supposed to allow the aircraft and its cargo to avoid customs on arrival, but only minutes from landing, Bermúdez personally phoned co-pilot Muñoz and demanded the crew divert to Manzanillo, over 1500 km to the west, on Mexico's Pacific coast. The flight had been tracked by the Mexican Air Force since it entered Mexican airspace and a heavy military presence was waiting for them on the ground at Cancun. When the Gulfstream deviated from its approach to Cancun, Mexican Air Force aircraft which had been shadowing it moved in to intercept. Trapped, the Gulfstream crew put their aircraft into orbit over the town of Tixkobob near Mérida in northwestern Yucatan for almost two hours before finally crash-landing in the jungle."
The crash
On September 24, 2007, just before dawn[2], a US registered Gulfstream II, N987SA , c/n 172, crashed in the Yucatan, Mexico, carrying at least 3 tons of cocaine. Daniel Hopsicker reports 4 tonnes,[2] but one source suggesting as many as 6 tonnes.[6][7] One source suggested that the flight was "being chased by Mexican military helicopters for flying illegally into Mexican airspace".[8]
The pilot was Edik Muñoz Sanchez[9] and the co-pilot was Omar Alfredo "el Piolo" Jácome del Valle.[10] Mexican soldiers reached the crash site the next day and arrested them both since they were too badly injured to flee. They also recovered 132 "military-style"[11] bags containing cocaine.[12][13]
Plane history
Similarly to Cocaine 1, another plane found in Mexico to be carrying tonnes of the drug, the plane changed hands multiple times before being used to smuggle cocaine to the US from South America. It also had interlocking owners and shared a base in St. Petersburg, Florida.[2] The paper trail suggests that after being owned by Air Rutter International for nearly a decade, it changed hands at two or three times in the weeks leading up to the crash.[14][15] At the time of the crash, the business jet was registered to Donna Blue Aircraft Inc, which had acquired it using money from the trust of the company Powell Aircraft.
CIA use
The same aircraft, under tail number N987SA, was used to deliver prisoners to Guantanamo Bay. Logs show that it flew to Guantanamo Bay from Washington, D.C. twice and from Oxford, Connecticut once. Wikipedia suggests that "is likely that the purpose of these flights was to ferry CIA and Pentagon interrogators to Guantanamo to question detainees". On April 16, 2005 it was sighted in Arkansas.[16]
Air Rutter International
William Cripe, who runs Air Rutter International (later JetFlite International) in Long Beach, California said he leased the plane for a year until it was sold, using it in his charter service. He said the plane didn't fly to Cuba or to the Caribbean while his company operated it.[14]
Donna Blue Aircraft
On August 30, 2006, it was sold by New York real estate developer and thoroughbred horse owner William Achenbaum to Donna Blue Aircraft, a Florida-based front company owned by two Brazilians, Joao Luiz Malago and Eduardo Dias Guimaraes. [14] Their website contained numerous typos, used "John Doe" as if it were an ordinary American name, and was summarised by Daniel Hopsicker as "such a clumsy half-hearted effort that it defeats the purpose of helping aid the construction of a plausible 'legend', or cover, and ends up doing more harm than good..."[15][17]
Powell Aircraft Title
A bill of sale was reportedly produced stating that on September 16, 2006, it was sold on to two Americans, Clyde O'Connor and Greg Smith for $2 million, though the FAA stated that they had not received the change of ownership paperwork.[14] Over the next two days, money from the Americans trust company Powell Aircraft Title was used to acquire the aircraft for the drug trafficker Pedro Antonio "The Architect" Bermúdez Suaza.[10]
Fallout
A week later, the head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) in Cancun was found shot dead after being kidnapped from a soccer match. He had reportedly refused the cocaine-carrying Gulfstream permission to land at Cancun.[6][18]
Cover-up
A Wikipedia page about this was created on 31 October 2007. On November 5 this was removed and merged into their page on "Rendition aircraft". Mention remained about "N987SA" for some years, but was deleted in 2016; by 2019 although he redirect remained, that page had no reference to the plane.[5]
Exposure
The story was brought to a wider audience by Daniel Hopsicker who published a retrospective in 2013, explaining about money laundering.[19]
Rating
![5star.png](/w/images/thumb/f/fb/5star.png/100px-5star.png)
An important piece of the puzzle that fits together with other reports of CIA planes involving large shipments of money and drugs. Wikipedia doesn't even give this event its own page.
References
- ↑ Daniel Hopsicker has well explained why the plane would not actually be directly "owned" by the CIA
- ↑ a b c d http://www.madcowprod.com/2013/09/27/six-years-on-the-mysterious-crash-of-cocaine2/
- ↑ https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070924-0 saved at Archive.org saved at Archive.is
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20071013043633/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20060.html saved at Archive.is
- ↑ a b https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rendition_aircraft&diff=761105036&oldid=743415960 saved at Archive.is
- ↑ a b Cancún: Investigan PGR en el aeropuerto saved at Archive.is
- ↑ LiveLeak.com - Huge Cocaine Haul As Plane Crashes In Jungle
- ↑ https://cranialgas.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/cia-aircraft-with-32-tons-of-coke-crashes-in-yucatan/ saved at Archive.org saved at Archive.is
- ↑ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-27-mexico-drug-plane_N.htm saved at Archive.org saved at Archive.is
- ↑ a b Diario La Estrella | 05/25/2009 | Colombiano ‘compra’ a policías en México y crea narcoimperio saved at Archive.is
- ↑ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-drugs/cocaine-laden-plane-crashes-in-mexico-jungle-idUSN2435638420070924 saved at Archive.org saved at Archive.is
- ↑ News, "Mexican Aircraft Force Down Drug Running Gulfstream II", Air Forces Monthly, Stamford, Lincs, UK, Number 236, November 2007, page 14.
- ↑ La Crónica de Hoy | La PGR detiene a dos tripulantes del narcoavión saved at Archive.is
- ↑ a b c d http://web.archive.org/web/20100605075036/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2007/09/28/20104/drugs-on-crashed-plane-belonged.html saved at Archive.is
- ↑ a b http://www.madcowprod.com/10092007.html
- ↑ http://www.upwardpost.com/world-news/2015/12/report-escaped-drug-lord-%E2%80%9Cel-chapo%E2%80%9D-helped-mexican-government
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20071015063314/http://donnablueaircraft.com/
- ↑ Cancún Informa 新聞, ラジオ,テレビ: Identifican a uno de los verdugos de Soladana saved at Archive.org saved at Archive.is
- ↑ https://www.madcowprod.com/2013/09/27/six-years-on-the-mysterious-crash-of-cocaine2/