Three Haitian nationals arrested in Reunion for internal transport of cocaine
Travellers from Paris were intercepted at Gillot airport with drug pellets in their bodies; their hearing is scheduled for February.
Three Haitian nationals arrested in Reunion for internal transport of cocaine
On Saturday, security forces at Roland-Garros airport, located at Gillot on the island of Reunion, arrested three passengers arriving from Haiti. The latter are suspected of having taken part in a drug-smuggling operation by swallowing containers of cocaine.
The arrested individuals were aged 23, 28 and 34 respectively. Customs officials apprehended one of them, whilst the other two were taken into custody by police. A series of body searches revealed 98 small drug containers hidden in their bodies. The most heavily laden of the three was concealing approximately 200 grammes of white powder, fragmented into around twenty wrapped portions.
According to information released by Linfo.re, investigators established that the trio had boarded from the French capital. A network originating from Haiti had allegedly recruited them for this mission, with the prospect of earning 2,000 euros in return.
Placed in detention, they were subsequently transferred before the court at Champ-Fleuri. The magistrate in charge of liberties decided to remand them in custody at Domenjod penitentiary pending their court appearance. This is scheduled for 13 February.
This case illustrates the persistence of the phenomenon of internal drug carriers, a technique favoured by criminal organisations to move illicit goods by air. Overseas airport facilities remain prime targets for such trafficking operations.
Source: Google News HT — Crime