Drug Smuggler Arrested at Cape Verde Airport with Cocaine
Authorities at Nelson Mandela International Airport in Praia have apprehended a 37-year-old man attempting to smuggle more than a kilogram of high-purity cocaine inside his body. The arrest, announced by the Cape Verdean Judiciary Police (PJ) on Tuesday, highlights ongoing efforts to intercept drug trafficking routes through West Africa.
A Dangerous Internal Cargo
The suspect, a Nigerian national, was detained on Sunday after disembarking from a flight originating in Lomé, Togo. During a specialized search, officers discovered 59 capsules of cocaine concealed within the man’s digestive tract. The total weight of the seized narcotics amounted to 1.113 kilograms.
Preliminary laboratory tests conducted by the PJ confirmed that the cocaine possessed a “high degree of purity.” Law enforcement officials estimated that the shipment was large enough to be processed into approximately 11,130 individual street doses, preventing a significant amount of illicit material from entering the local market.
Seizures and Legal Action
In addition to the narcotics, the Judiciary Police seized $650 USD and €200 in cash, along with other items deemed relevant to the ongoing investigation. The suspect was immediately taken into custody and underwent his initial judicial interrogation.
A judge at the Judicial Court of the District of Praia ordered the man to be held in preventive detention. He has been transferred to the Praia Central Prison, where he will remain as he awaits trial for drug trafficking charges.
Image: Pexels – MART PRODUCTION
