On 8 December 2024, officers of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Section at SSR International Airport intercepted two passengers arriving on British Airways flight BA 2065 from London Gatwick as they left through the Green Channel, acting on established risk profiles.[1] Scans of their luggage showed abnormal, suspicious images, and both passengers were sent to the examination counter.[1]
Asked to open their suitcases, the pair said they had neither the codes nor the keys, claiming someone had given them the luggage at the London airport, but the luggage tags bore each passenger’s name, so officers broke open the padlocks.[1] One passenger’s two suitcases concealed 60 parcels of compressed leaf matter, and the other’s held 30 parcels.[1] A presumptive field test on a sachet from each piece of luggage came back positive for cannabis, and the K9 sniffer dog Ruby also reacted positively.[1] A body search of both passengers, carried out with their consent, found nothing abnormal.[1]
The Mauritius Revenue Authority put the gross weight at 49.52 kg with a market value of Rs 59,424,000, and handed the passengers, their belongings and the exhibits to the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit for further enquiry.[1]
