Six-year-old arrested in Mauritius: Cannabis worth ₹18.8 crore found in luggage during airport raid
A six-year-old British boy was arrested in Mauritius after £1.6 million ( ₹ 18.8 crore) worth of cannabis was found in his luggage. The child arrived with six British adults earlier this week.
Officials found 14 kilos of cannabis in the child's bag and more in others' suitcases, totalling 161 kilos. Authorities called using a child for smuggling 'inhumane', according to The Sun.
Eleven Apple AirTags were found, suggesting links to a drug gang, according to MailOnline.
The boy has now returned to the UK with his father. The adults remain in custody after appearing in court. The drugs were found during a joint airport raid by customs and anti-drug teams. Shocked families back home said they had no idea.
All six adults are from Cambridgeshire. They are Laura Kappen (28), a bar worker; Shannon Holness (29), a caterer; Shona Campbell (33), a cleaner; Lily Watson, also a caterer; and Patrick Wilsdon (21), a window fitter.
A Romanian man, Florian Lisman (38), living in Huntingdon and working as a machine operator, was also arrested. The group is suspected of being part of a wider network smuggling drugs from Europe to Mauritius.
The case has shocked officials at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport. It has raised concerns about child exploitation in drug trafficking.
Wilsdon was described by his mother as vulnerable and unaware. She claimed the 21-year-old had been offered a 'free holiday' by a friend who had now gone missing.
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said they are supporting the arrested British citizens in Mauritius.
'We are supporting several British nationals who are detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities,' MailOnline quoted the spokesperson as saying.
The case adds to a growing list of British nationals caught abroad for drug smuggling.
In May, Charlotte May Lee, 21, was arrested in Sri Lanka after 46kg of cannabis was reportedly found in her bags. The South London resident denies knowing about the drugs.
She hasn't been charged yet. If guilty, she may face 25 years in prison.
British teenager Bella Culley was arrested in Tbilisi, Georgia, for allegedly bringing in large amounts of drugs. Police found 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish. During a court hearing, the 18-year-old said she was pregnant.
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