legal

SAN woes cancel Jaqué inspection

Prosecutors are prepared for an aerial inspection of a crime scene in the Darién.

But a shortage of SAN helicopters has forced them to postpone their trip indefinitely.

A visual inspection of the scene of a clash between police and suspected FARC members off the coast of Jaqué, the Darién in February has been postponed because investigators can't get a helicopter.

Drug prosecutor José Abel Almengor said the inspection will take place as soon as the Servicio Aéreo Nacional (SAN) can provide them with the aircraft.

The agency has been plagued with problems, including last Thursday's crash of SAN-100 that killed 11 people. The agency also has maintenance issues with most of its fleet.

Almengor explained that the visual inspection is a necessary part of his legal proceedings, and that it will take the place of a scheduled reconstruction of the events that occurred in Jaqué. He added that the suspects, now state prisoners, will not be involved in the inspection.

Lawyers for the detainees, however, have petitioned the judge in the case to rule in favor of requiring a reconstruction, not the visual inspection.

Police charged Abel Palacios, Alexis Mosquera, Juan Becheche, José Ibargüen, Antonio Escobar and Harley Bañol with drug smuggling and assault on police after the incident. The prisoners allegedly fired on police when law enforcement officers approached their disabled vessel.

While no drugs were found on the boat, forensic tests indicated that it had been used to transport cocaine.