(Business in Cameroon) – Customs officers at the International Airport of Douala seized 30 kilograms of cocaine on April 25 during a routine check of luggage registered on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET686 to New Delhi, India.
The drugs were hidden inside a travel bag filled with spices, a method that customs authorities say shows a sophisticated attempt to evade detection. The market value of the cocaine is estimated at $2.3 million, or nearly CFA1.4 billion.
The main suspect is currently in custody and undergoing questioning. Customs officials said early investigations point to the existence of a well-organized criminal network that may be operating across borders.
This is the second major drug bust at Douala Airport in just ten days. On April 16, customs officers intercepted a shipment of 70 kilograms of narcotics, valued at nearly CFA2 billion. That shipment, which included methamphetamines, ephedrine, and cocaine, had arrived on a Rwand’Air flight from South Africa and was hidden inside air compressors.
With both seizures combined, Douala Airport has intercepted drugs worth an estimated CFA3.4 billion so far this year.
