Colombia snags huge cocaine haul on Pacific coast

BOGOTA, May 1 (Reuters) Colombian armed forces captured between 20 and 25 tonnes of cocaine packed into 1,000 bales on the Pacific coast in what authorities described as a historic blow against drug traffickers.

Colombia's Pacific coast is a major drug smuggling route to Mexico and the United States and an area where narcotics gangs, illegal paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas battle for control of trafficking operations.

''They have captured the largest number of tonnes of cocaine ever,'' said Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos yesterday.

Colombia remains the world's No 1 cocaine producer despite billions of dollars of US military aid pumped into the country to fight the drug trade and left-wing guerrillas who are deeply involved in trafficking.

The Andean country produces around 600 tonnes of cocaine a year, most of it destined for the United States or Europe.

REUTERS DH BST0633