A U.S. Army Special Forces operator was apprehended after allegedly sneaking 40 kilos of cocaine into the United States late last week.
Master Sgt. Daniel Gould of the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was arrested on Monday after a plane bound for Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida, was discovered to have the package onboard. The 90-pound shipment of cocaine, separated into two backpacks, was traced back to Gould, and he was taken into custody shortly thereafter.
Tampa News Florida Special Forces soldier tried to smuggle 40 kilos of cocaine into US – The Ledger https://t.co/hgGewf6yxR pic.twitter.com/kgx0RQy0Wr
— Tampa NewsChannel (@Tampa_NC) August 19, 2018
Gould was reportedly “on vacation” in Columbia the week prior but arrived stateside before his extracurriculars did.
Tampa News US soldier charged with smuggling 90 lbs. of cocaine from Colombia to Florida – https://t.co/49Y4AjBo5k https://t.co/aAFJGaCj6t pic.twitter.com/89jlUkZKL7
— Tampa NewsChannel (@Tampa_NC) August 18, 2018
Just for reference, here’s what nearly 90 pounds of solid cocaine looks like:
35 kilos of cocaine (75 lbs) pulled from Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Florida: https://t.co/v7ejsg4xQ0 pic.twitter.com/EOC6HaEChl
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) July 9, 2018
“We are aware of recent allegations concerning a U.S. soldier assigned under U.S. Army Special Operations Command for reportedly attempting to smuggle narcotics from Colombia into the U.S.,” Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt, an Army Special Operations Command spokesman told NBC News. “We are cooperating fully with law enforcement officials concerning this matter.”
Gould entered the Army in 2004 and was a decorated soldier, receiving a Silver Star in 2010 for heroics in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Gould’s unit, the 7th Special Forces Group, often deploys to South America for counternarcotics missions.
The investigation is ongoing.
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