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Colombian navy finds shipwrecked boat with over 750 kilos of drugs floating nearby
The Colombian Navy and National Army discovered a shipwrecked boat that was transporting 33 kilograms of cocaine and 744 kilograms of marijuana.
The drugs were floating in the water near the boat, which was found on the Naya River near the country’s coastal Buenaventura district, the navy said in a news release. There were 32 floating packages in total.
The packages contained “narcotic substances,” the navy said. The packages were tested by the Technical Investigation Corps of the Attorney’s General’s Office in a preliminary test, which found the substances to be cocaine hydrochloride and marijuana.
The navy said the seizure meant that nearly $6 million was prevented from going to organizations dedicated to drug trafficking, and that the sale of more than 200,000 doses of drugs was prevented.
Two individuals were also found near the boat. They were both of Costa Rican nationality, the navy said, and stated that they were the owners of the boat.
The seized materials, two men and boat were brought to the municipal prosecutor’s office for prosecution on charges of trafficking, manufacturing and/or possession of narcotics, the navy said.
The Colombian navy has intercepted dozens of boats transporting illicit substances in recent years. Sometimes, submarines or “narco subs” have attempted to evade detection by traveling underwater. Recently, the navy intercepted what authorities said was a “suspicious” boat carrying $41 million worth of cocaine and traveling to Central America.
According to the BBC, Colombia produces 60% of the cocaine found in the world. CBS News has previously reported that the United States is the world’s largest consumer of Colombian cocaine.
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Teacher, student killed in Wisconsin school shooting identified
A teacher and student killed in a shooting earlier this week at a school in Madison, Wisconsin, were identified Wednesday by authorities.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release provided to CBS News that 42-year-old Erin West and 14-year-old Rubi Vergara were fatally shot Monday morning at Abundant Life Christian School.
Preliminary examinations determined the two died of “homicidal firearm related trauma.” Both were pronounced dead at the scene, the medical examiner said.
An online obituary on a local funeral site stated Vergara was a freshman who leaves behind her parents, one brother, and a large extended family. It described her as “an avid reader” who “loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”
West’s exact position with the school was unclear.
The medical examiner also confirmed that a preliminary autopsy found that the suspected shooter, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow — a student at the same school — was pronounced dead at a local hospital Monday of “firearm related trauma.” Madison Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes had previously told reporters that Rupnow was pronounced dead while being transported to a hospital.
Police had also previously stated that she was believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The shooting at the private Christian K-12 school was reported just before 11 a.m. Monday. In addition to the two people killed and the shooter, six others were wounded.
Police said the shooting occurred in a classroom where a study hall was taking place involving students from several grades.
A handgun was recovered after the shooting, Barnes said, but it was unclear where the gun came from or how many shots were fired. A law enforcement source said the weapon used in the shooting appears to have been a 9 mm pistol.
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Last-minute government funding bill in limbo after opposition from Trump, others
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“CBS Evening News” headlines for Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024
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