The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) seized 2.03 kg of Cocaine worth Rs. 30,450,000 on the 13th of November, 2023 at the SSR International Airport. A Bolivian passenger aged 30, travelling by Emirates Flight EK701 from Dubai was targeted by CANS Officers while she was leaving through the green channel, based on established risk profiles.
The Passenger’s luggage was scanned and the scanning image was suspicious. The passenger together with her luggage was then directed to CANS office. Upon examination of the luggage, it was found to be abnormally heavy while empty and the inner linings were found to be unusually thick.
The luggage’s inner lining was cut open and found to contain two rectangular parcels with a certain quantity of powder suspected to be dangerous drugs.
A presumptive field test for cocaine was carried out and revealed to be positive and both parcels were weighed and a gross indicative weight of 2.03 Kg was found. K9 Dog Alice was then deployed. It reacted positively on the exhibits.
The Bolivian woman arrived at Plaisance airport from Dubai on Monday November 13 on Emirates Airline flight EK 761. She was stopped after crossing the Green Channel in the arrivals hall. This was after the men of the Customs Anti Narcotics Section had profiled her.
A field test confirmed that the substance was cocaine. The sniffer dog Alice also reacted positively to the drug. The exhibits were secured and referred to ADSU for further enquiry.
The suspect was then handed over to the airport’s Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit for investigation. Immediately, a controlled delivery operation was set up to trace the suspect. However, in the late afternoon of Monday November 13, this exercise was cancelled, as news of the Bolivian woman’s arrest had become public knowledge.
This is Ercilia Parada Saucedo’s first visit to Mauritius.
She was due to stay at a boarding school in La Louise, Quatre-Bornes. This Tuesday morning, November 14, she will be brought before the Mahebourg court. She is facing a provisional charge of drug importation.
