Republic of Mauritius- Heroin, worth Rs 13.5 million, seized at SSR International Airport

In fact, the odd demeanour of the Sierra Leonean in the Green Channel of the SSR Airport led officers of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Section (CANS) of the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) to question him on the purpose of his visit to Mauritius.

The male passenger declared that he was a journalist employed by a media company in Sierra Leone and that he came to Mauritius to cover the State Visit of the President of the Republic of Kenya. His luggage was scanned and examined and nothing incriminating was found.  The Sierra Leonean, to the questions of the CANS officers, said he could not recall the name of the President of Kenya and he was inconsistent in his replies. His travel documents also revealed that he had travelled to Ethiopia and Guinea Conakry before boarding the EK flight from Dubai to Mauritius.

Based on the above risk indicators, it was suspected that the passenger had swallowed drugs and he was referred to the ADSU for a medical check.  At the hospital, the Sierra Leonean purged 50 pellets suspected to be heroin. A lady, in her seventies, who had come to meet the passenger at the airport was also arrested.