Cancun, Q.R. — A British man was arrested inside Chile’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport with five kilos of narcotics. The 79 year old was taken into custody after customs found methamphetamine in his suitcase from a Cancun visit.
The man was arrested earlier this week during a stopover in Chile from Cancun. During a luggage inspection, Customs and Police Investigations Directorate (PDI) found the five kilos hidden in a false bottom.
Rodrigo Díaz, the Regional Director of Metropolitan Customs, said the detection was possible thanks to remote image analysis which allowed the suitcase to be flagged as suspicious. Once removed from the baggage carousel, the senior citizen was sent for a second inspection where the narcotics were confirmed.
The methamphetamine was distributed between six packages which, according to reports, had a high degree of purity. The man, who has not been named, had left Cancun with an overnight stopover in Santiago, Chile, before reaching his final destination of Sydney, Australia.
However, he was intercepted and arrested before leaving the Chilean airport. According to the statement given to authorities, the suitcase was provided to him by Mexican citizens at the Cancun International Airport. His role was to transport it with an overnight stop in the Chilean capital.
Sergio Paredes, who heads the PDI’s Anti-Narcotics Brigade at the airport, said it was the first time the arrested man had entered Chile. He is facing charges of drug smuggling under Chilean law. He has been remanded in custody by court order, which set a 120-day investigation period.
Paredes said police were still investigating whether the drugs were due to remain in Chile or be smuggled to Australia.
