British soldiers were involved in guns for cocaine scandal

British soldiers smuggled stolen guns out of Iraq and exchanged them on the black market for cocaine and cash, a newspaper reported.

Photo: British soldiers were involved in guns for cocaine scandal

The Ministry of Defense on Monday would not comment directly on the report in the Sunday Times, but said that military police have carried out an investigation involving small arms and that the army is considering whether soldiers should be prosecuted.

The ministry would not say how many soldiers were involved, where they are based or when the alleged crime took place.

The Sunday Times said the soldiers transported handguns from Iraq to Germany, exchanged some of them for cocaine with a street value of 2,500 pounds (US$4,765, Ђ3,725), then sold the drug to soldiers serving in Iraq. The paper said it was the first time that British military police have obtained evidence that stolen weapons were being sold to pay for drugs, reports AP.

The article said soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, are at the center of the inquiry. The battalion has a base near Fallingbostel, Germany, north of Hanover.