A six-year-old boy was among six British nationals detained abroad in a huge £1.6million drug-smuggling bust, according to reports.
The group were stopped last Sunday at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), the main international airport in Mauritius, where customs officials allegedly discovered 161kg of cannabis hidden inside their suitcases. The total haul reportedly included 24 packages stashed in the youngster’s bag, weighing 14kg. The boy’s 35-year-old mum was meanwhile said to be carrying 29 packages, and her Romanian partner another 32 packages.
Local officials are said to have estimated the total amount would be equivalent to £1.6million on the local drugs market. Five British women and one man, one Romanian, and a child were all reportedly detained at the scene, with the adults later appearing at a court in Mahebourg to be provisionally charged with drug offences.
The adults remain in detention after police requested for them not to be given conditional release, according to Mauritian newspaper Defi Media.
Authorities contacted the British High Commission regarding the child’s welfare after taking in him and his mother. Reports back in the UK said the boy was flown home on Wednesday, with his dad coming to the airport to collect him. His age has been reported as either six or seven years old.
The Mirror has approached the Foreign Office for comment. A spokesperson told The Sun: “We are supporting several British nationals who are detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Customs officers and police are said to have kept a keen eye on the group of passengers from the moment they disembarked from British Airways flight BA 2065 on Sunday, which had arrived from London Gatwick Airport.
Multiple police bloodhounds had been stationed in the airport that day as part of an anti-trafficking operation.
After being stopped, all of the group’s checked baggage, including the child’s, was examined with an X-ray scanner, allegedly revealing the presence of the drugs.
Authorities in Mauritius described the use of a child for drug trafficking as “inhumane”. They added that Apple AirTags were said to have been found with the parcels of drugs, suggesting an organised smuggling operation.
