A bus in the colors of Sao Paulo FC, which was to transport the Brazilian team to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, ultimately never welcomed the players: the police discovered dozens of packages of marijuana on board.
The Paulista club was in Bolivia to face Bolivar on Tuesday in La Paz, in the round of 16 first leg of the Copa Sudamericana, the South American equivalent of the Europa League.
The transport company Cosmos has rejected any responsibility of the club in the operation foiled on Sunday by the police. “The Sao Paulo team did not use this bus, another was allocated to it,” she said in a letter addressed to the club, a copy of which AFP obtained.
“We make it clear that full responsibility lies with Bolivian drivers,” she added. The vehicle, which displayed the emblems of the Brazilian club according to photos released by the police, was intercepted in Villa Tunari, a coca production area in the department of Cochabamba, in the center of the country.
Three people were arrested, according to drug police. The agents discovered 65 rectangular packages containing “a greenish substance”, which after analysis turned out to be marijuana, according to the same source.
According to local media, the cargo, hidden in shopping bags, weighed around 86 kg.
