Malagasy customs officers intercepted a Latvian national on Saturday 13 December at Fascène international airport in Nosy Be as he was about to board a flight to Réunion.[1] His luggage aroused the suspicions of customs officers, who had it opened immediately in his presence before tests confirmed the contents were drugs.[2] The man was immediately detained and placed in custody.[1] The Malagasy authorities opened an investigation to establish the origin of the drugs and whether he acted alone or for an international trafficking network.[1]
During the customs check, officers found about 3 kg of cocaine and 5.5 kg of hashish hidden in his baggage.[1] The cannabis component recorded here is the 5.5 kg of hashish, while the cocaine and the 8.5 kg combined drug total are excluded from cannabis figures.[2] He was due to board Air Austral flight UI 432 from Nosy Be to Réunion.[1] Testing confirmed a total of 8.5 kg, split as 5.5 kg of hashish and about 3 kg of cocaine.[2]
Customs interceptions of passengers carrying drugs at the airport are not new, and baggage is also screened by other means such as scanners.[2] Customs also has sniffer dogs specially trained to detect drugs.[2]
