Colombian Police Seize More Than 8 Tons Of Cocaine From Crime Gang

President Juan Manuel Santos says on Twitter it’s the largest drug discovery in the history of the country.

Authorities in Colombia seized 8.8 tons of cocaine from an underground bunker in a historic move announced Sunday.

The drugs were seized from Clan Usuga, a criminal gang involved in drugs trafficking, according to the report.

When commandos and Black Hawk helicopters raided a banana plantation in the northern region of the country, they bagged 8.8 tons – more than 17,500 pounds – of cocaine.

The drug bust was part of an offensive against a narcotrafficking criminal gang called Clan Úsuga, authorities said.

A Colombian national policeman stands guard in front of packages of cocaine. In March 2007, the U.S. Coast Guard seized almost 20 tons of cocaine found on a cargo ship, the “Gatun”, headed from the Panama Canal to the Mexican port of Topolobampo.

Three suspects were arrested and another three escaped, the statement read.

Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said the drugs belonged to the Clan Usuga crime gang.

Colombia produces 442 tons of cocaine per year, according to the UN.

The State Department has offered $5 million for help that leads the capture of the group’s leader, Dario “Otoniel” Úsuga.

Colombia cultivates more illegal coca – the plant from which cocaine is derived – than any other country in the world.