Drug trafficking grannies

BBC Learning English
Words in the News
1st June 2009
Drug trafficking grannies

Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
Police in Chile have arrested two women, aged 72 and 80, after finding a stash of cocaine
and cash in their house. As Gideon Long reports from the capital Santiago, it's thought that
the women have been operating a drug-trafficking ring in the area for years:

Police raided the house during the night and found two kilos of cocaine and around 65,000
dollars in cash. They arrested 80-year-old Maria Valdebenito and 72-year-old Giselle Gilbert
and charged them with drug trafficking offences.

Mrs Valdebenito is bedridden. Prosecutors say she received the drugs from her contacts and
passed them to her younger and more agile accomplice to sell. The house that the women
used as their base is just a few metres from Chile's biggest police academy.

Prosecutors say the women should be taken into preventative custody while their case is
considered. But, because of their frail state of health, they might be placed under house arrest
instead.

Gideon Long, BBC News, Santiago


Words in the news © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com

Vocabulary and definitions

raided suddenly entered and searched
charged them with accused them of
trafficking here, illegal transportation and trade (often used with
words like 'drugs' or 'weapons')
bedridden unable to get out of bed because of poor health and/or
physical weakness
her contacts here, people she knows and has dealings with
more agile more active, able to move more quickly and easily
accomplice somebody who helps somebody else to do something
illegal or morally wrong
that the women used as their
base
here, where the women conducted their illegal business
taken into preventative
custody
placed and kept under arrest in a special secure place (e.g.
prison) so they can no longer commit crimes
frail weak, fragile

More on this story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8075634.stm

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/06/090601_witn_druggie_grannies.shtml