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Chicago Public Radio
Worldview 10/29/2007
Geopolitics of Drugs: Narcoavión de Guantánamo

Before President Bush proposed giving the Mexican government more than a billion dollars in aid to fight the war on drugs last week…We noticed a strange phenomenon.

Either it’s a series of coincidences,
Or it’s evidence of serious corruption…

They have a word for it in Spanish:

MARIO MENENDEZ RODRIGUEZ “Narcoavion, that’s how we say it”

Drug Planes.

And if you try to figure what happened to one of these planes, you’ll discover just how little you’re allowed to know

SECRETARY: “I’m not allowed to answer any questions regarding the aircraft”

...about the world of private jets and drugs.
So let’s start out with what we are allowed to know.
On a late Sunday Night last month, an American Gulfstream two private jet, crash-landed into the jungles of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

It managed to avoid catching fire, skidding across the jungle floor, and splitting into three pieces. Mexican TV showed images of the plane and its cargo… dozens of “military style” duffel bags containing several metric tons of cocaine. [1]

The reason this made the news is the history of the plane, tail number N987SA…Starting in 2003, the plane made several trips from Washington and Connecticut to Guantanamo Bay. This led to questions of its use by military or intelligence agencies. Since... how many people really fly from Connecticut to Guantanamo?

JAY ROOT: I mean, if you’re flyin to Guantanamo, its government business,

That was Jay Root, he reported on the plane for McClatchy Newspapers with his partner Kevin Hall.

KEVIN HALL: The CIA’s confirmed it was used, it was not confirmed now, it was confirmed in earlier reports through the tail numbers

The plane shows up on the list of CIA planes compiled for the EU human rights investigation into the “extraordinary rendition” program. Still, just being used in the program doesn't mean it was ever used to transfer prisoners. Only 2% of the its flights had prisoners on board… the rest were logistical support.

ROOT: You know in some cases, soldiers literally, or you know, CIA interrogators missed starbucks coffee so they would fly in some Starbucks coffee.