But really, does this surprise anyone? One of the most corrupt nations on the Earth produces a drug smuggler in their royal family. Maybe they need all the narco-dollars to launder the petro-dollars, or the other way around. Anyway, oil, money, and coke go together like doughnuts, powdered sugar, and milk, so you know it was only a matter of time before some petro nation got a black eye in the trafficking department. From the Times Online:
A Saudi Arabian prince used his private Boeing 727 to smuggle $15 million (£7.6 million) of Colombian cocaine into France under the cover of diplomatic immunity, a court was told yesterday.
Prince Nayef Bin Fawaz al-Shaalan, a member of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family, has been accused, along with ten others, of organising a vast drug-trafficking operation. If convicted, he faces ten years’ imprisonment and a ban from setting foot on French soil after serving his sentence.
Diplomatic immunity is such a fun term, isn't it? This case has actually been going on since 1999, when "his highness" was nabbed with (oops) two tons of coke in 66 Samsonite suitcases, presumably marked with proper diplomatic seals. The news here is that the Prince is a no show at his hearing in French court. Ooh Nayef, you are so busted!
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