Ever wondered what eight tonnes of cocaine
on fire would look like?
Well, wonder no more. Authorities in Panama
seized and burned millions of dollars worth
of illegal drugs which were being smuggled
through the country from Mexico, headed for
the United States.
It's the first burning we've had since January
first to now. Up to today, we've had about
nine tonnes of drugs and it's being decommissioned
by security officials.
The main drug is cocaine. About eight tonnes.
The rest is made up of marijuana and other drugs.
Officers spent hours stacking the hugs stash,
wearing protective face masks of course, and
stood guard as it was set alight.
Panama is a tiny country in Central America
with a population of only around 3,500,000.
But drug trafficking is a huge problem. Last
year alone, around 40 tonnes of drugs were
seized as they were smuggled through by cartels
in South America. They were destroyed in a
similar fashion.
