APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) More than 29 kilograms of cocaine have been seized at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, customs authorities have said.
The customs agents intercepted the drug Friday night from a plane arriving from Brazil. Federal police and airport officers played a major role in the seizures, the Ethiopian Customs Commission said in a statement.
The cocaine pellets weighing 29.2 kilograms in total are worth around 247 million Birr, according to the commission’s report.
Drug traffickers from Brazil seem to be increasingly targeting the airports as “stopovers” en route to other destinations.
Last month, police captured 3 suspected foreigners along with 17.9 kilograms of cocaine.
The suspected smugglers who flew in from Brazil’s Sao Paulo were traveling to other countries via Addis Ababa, per a police report.
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier, connects the continent to over 127 international destinations. The Addis Ababa Bole International Airport serves as a main transit point for over 22 million international and domestic passengers annually and also become a major transit hub for illicit drugs.
The government of Ethiopia is accused of giving less attention to the crime due to perception that Ethiopia is not the intended destination for the illicit drugs.
MG/as/APA