Man held at Keflavík airport with 12 kg of marijuana and 2 kg of cocaine
A foreign national was stopped on arrival at Keflavík airport on 9 January 2024 with 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of cocaine in his suitcase. Held in custody since, his detention was extended on 14 March while police looked for accomplices in Iceland and abroad.
A foreign national was stopped on arrival in Iceland on 9 January 2024 with two kilograms of cocaine and 12 kilograms of marijuana in his suitcase.[1]The Reykjavík Grapevine, reporting RÚV’s account, notes that his baggage contained nothing but drugs.[1]
The man has been held in custody since the seizure, and on 14 March a court extended his detention after police argued he was a flight risk with no ties to Iceland.[1]Police were examining possible accomplices in Iceland and abroad, and whether the case connected to other smuggling attempts stopped at the airport.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
On 23 September 2026, Westfjords police searched a home in Bolungarvík and seized dozens of fully grown cannabis plants and the growing equipment. The occupant was arrested, questioned and released. Police called the case solved.
By 6 July 2026, capital-area police had stopped three cannabis grows in southwest Iceland, seized just under 800 plants and arrested eight people after eight searches. Police said the cannabis was meant for sale. No charges or court outcome were given.
In the week before 10 July 2025, Capital Region police arrested six people, searched seven premises and seized 20 kilograms of marijuana hidden in shipments, including at customs checks and an industrial building in Hafnarfjörður. Three suspects were held briefly in custody.
The Reykjanes District Court sentenced a man and a woman to 22 months in prison for flying into Iceland on 16 December 2024 with 9.2 kilograms of marijuana and 13 kilograms of hashish in their suitcases. Twenty months were suspended, to be waived after three years on good behaviour.