A 29-year-old Nigerian man with Italian nationality has been arrested at Punta Cana International Airport in Dominican Republic, for reportedly attempted to smuggle narcotics to Paris, France by ingesting them.
According to Loop News, the Nigerian man whose identity has not yet been revealed was arrested during a joint operation involving agents from the National Directorate of Drug Control (DNCD) and members of the Specialised Airport Security Corps (CESAC), in coordination with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Citing a statement from the Directorate, the report noted that the suspect was intercepted in the boarding area of the terminal. Following standard protocols, foreign bodies were detected in his digestive tract.
He was immediately transferred to a local health centre, where specialist doctors oversaw the process of extracting the concealed substances.
Medical professionals recovered a total of 72 pellets from the man’s stomach, believed to contain cocaine. The seized substance weighs approximately 1.361 kilogrammes (2.99 pounds).
The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the DNCD have launched an investigation to determine if other individuals were involved in the thwarted international drug trafficking operation.
Meanwhile, the foreign national is being transferred to the Permanent Care jurisdiction of La Altagracia province for further legal proceedings.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the 72 bags were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) for detailed analysis and confirmation of the substance’s composition.