Latest news with #anti-narcotics
BBC News
3 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
British man arrested in Chile after '£200k of crystal meth' found
A British man has been arrested in Chile after custom officials claimed to have discovered £200k worth of crystal meth inside his suitcase. Sources in the South American country have confirmed the man to be William Eastment, from Milbourne Port in had been travelling from Mexico to Chile when, according to Chilean authorities, his suitcase was found to contain more than 5kg (11lbs) of a statement published online, customs officials said they had identified irregularities in one piece of luggage, prompting them to track down the owner. Rodrigo Díaz, Metropolitan Customs Regional Director, said: "Once the traveller retrieved the suspicious luggage from the airport baggage carousel, it was quickly identified by our officers and moved to the secondary screening area, where the drugs team confirmed the presence of a hidden object." Inside the suitcase, the online statement added, six plastic bags were found containing 5,100 grams (179 oz) of a white substance, later found to be methamphetamine after Eastment was then handed over to anti-narcotics officers at the airport, and then remanded in custody following an initial court hearing.A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: "We are aware of a British man detained in Chile and are in contact with his family and the local authorities."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
British pensioner 'drug mule', 79, arrested in Chile claims Mexican gang promised him £3.7million to carry suitcase with 5kg of crystal meth
A British pensioner has been arrested in Chile after a Mexican gang allegedly promised him £3.7million to smuggle a suitcase of crystal meth. 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. 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. Police say the drugs he was caught 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 British traveller was asked to open his suitcase in front of police after they detected a 'suspicious' substance and cops discovered a secret compartment where 5kg of 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 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.' The drugs arrest is the latest in a series of similar recent apprehensions around the world involving British nationals, although most have been far younger than the man held in Chile. Yesterday it emerged a British couple aged 33 and 34 had been held at Valencia airport after police discovered 33 kilos of cannabis in their luggage. The pair claimed they were tourists coming from Thailand after they were intercepted as they got off a flight from France. A 23-year-old British woman in Ghana was arrested last week after being accused of attempting to bring up to 18kg of cannabis into the UK on a May 18 British Airways flight to Gatwick. Bella May Culley, 18, sparked a massive international search operation in early May after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand. However, it was later revealed that the teen, from Billingham, County Durham, had been arrested 4,000 miles away on drug offences in Georgia, allegedly carrying 14kg of cannabis into the ex-Soviet nation. And recently 21-year-old Charlotte Lee May, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo after police discovered 46kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase. The former flight attendant, facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted, is claiming she had 'no idea' about the drugs worth up to £1.2 million and insisting they must have been planted in her luggage without her knowledge.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Two arrested in Oman on drug-related charges
Muscat: Anti-Narcotics Authorities of Royal Oman Police managed to arrest two individuals in drug-related cases in Sultanate of Oman. ROP said: 'In a coordinated effort to combat drug trafficking, the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Department, led by the South Al Batinah Police Command, has successfully arrested a Pakistani national in the Wilayat of Barka.' 'The suspect was apprehended following a meticulous tracking operation and was found in possession of a quantity of marijuana intended for sale and personal use,' ROP added. Meanwhile, the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Department, under the Dhofar Police Command, arrested an Omani citizen for drug possession. Authorities are continuing legal actions in response to the case. These operations reaffirm Oman's commitment to cracking down on illegal drug activities and ensuring public safety through rigorous enforcement measures.
