FREE! COSTA BLANCA NORTH
Issue 986 28th Sept - 4th Oct
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Brazil cocaine smugglers foiled by Ray Chadwick TWO concurrent operations - one by the National Police and another from the Guardia Civil - have resulted in three people arrested as they tried to allegedly smuggle cocaine into Alicante-Elche Airport from Brazil. A total of 12 kilos of cocaine was seized. The first success concerned two men, aged 33 and 37, who were acting suspiciously and had their luggage searched by the Canine and Drug Unit based at the airport. The drugs weren’t that easy to find at first, but when one case had been taken apart they were found hidden inside the lining. The other arrest by the Guardia Civil found four kilos of cocaine in a large suitcase sealed with plastic and secured with a padlock. The fact it raised suspicions, they asked for it to be opened and at first everything appeared normal, since it contained the usual clothes and personal belongings. However, once the clothes were taken out, 114 small pots of what appeared to be clothing dye were discovered. They were immediately placed through an X-ray
SUSPICIOUS: Drugs stash hidden in suitcases and in dye bottles. machine where a number of irregularities were spotted. When the first bottle was opened, it contained a piece of cotton wool covering a bag of white powder; subsequent tests showing it to be cocaine. Throughout the year, offi-
cers experienced in monitoring and controlling drugs are deployed at Alicante-Elche Airport especially to look out for the so-called ‘hot flights’ which arrive from different parts of South America and a well-known exit point for drug trafficking.