Brit pensioner 'arrested in Chile after trying to smuggle 5kg of meth'
A British pensioner has been arrested by police in Chile after allegedly being caught trying to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine into the country.
The 79-year-old was held after leaving a flight from the Mexican resort of Cancun at Santiago Airport. He was booked on a flight to Sydney in Australia the following day after spending a night at a hotel in the Chilean capital.
But images of the luggage passing through the scanner alerted inspectors, who began tracking it down until they found the suitcase's owner.
The unnamed pensioner was remanded in custody following a court appearance after a judge approved a prosecution request to send him to prison pending probable charges and trial. The court set a 120-day period for the investigation and to determine the final destination of the cargo he was transporting.
Cops say the drugs he was apprehended with would have been worth around £200,000 on the streets of the south American country. He was intercepted after his luggage was put through an airport scanner.
The Brit traveller was asked to open his suitcase in front of police after they detected a 'suspicious' substance and cops discovered a secret compartment where the drugs had been packed.
Airport police chief Sergio Paredes said it was the first time the arrested man had entered Chile. He said: 'This person came from Mexico and when he was arrested and taken to the anti-narcotics squad's airport offices, he said that the suitcase had been received by some Mexican nationals at Cancun airport. He was due to spend a night in a hotel in the centre of Santiago before boarding a flight to Sydney, Australia.'
Mr Paredes said police were still investigating whether the drugs were due to remain in Chile or be taken to Australia. He told local press: 'Prosecutors are looking into this and trying to establish whether the drug was for internal consumption or was due to be transported by this British national to Australia.'
Chilean customs officers released pictures of the drugs they had confiscated, saying: 'Customs officials intercepted a foreign citizen with more than five of kilos of methamphetamines hidden in a secret compartment in his luggage at Santiago Airport. He was stopped after his luggage was scanned and has been remanded in custody.'
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