A Peruvian mother and son were arrested after flying into Macao’s airport with almost two kilograms of cocaine hidden in their bodies, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced on Friday. The incident took place last week.
The 22-year-old male had swallowed 51 condoms of cocaine, while his 53-year-old mother had swallowed three – and also stashed a packet of cocaine in a bodily cavity, the Macao Post Daily reported. The drugs had a collective street value of about 5.38 million patacas.
The latest arrests bring to at least six the number of major busts this month. PJ spokesman Lou Kam Fai told media that the police did not believe Macao was the drugs’ final destination. He said that the SAR appeared to be increasingly popular with drug gangs as a place of transit.
[See more: Is Macao becoming a hub for drug traffickers?]
However, the relative lack of connectivity and passenger movement at Macao’s airport – compared to regional hubs like Bangkok and Hong Kong – would appear to make it an unusual choice as a drug transhipment point. It is also clear that at least some dealers are targeting tourists and locals.
The Peruvian mother and son were intercepted at the Macao airport after disembarking from a flight from Manila, having left Peru on 8 November. The pair were promptly transported to Conde de São Januário Hospital where the cocaine was retrieved.
According to United Nations estimates as few as 28 percent of cocaine shipments are intercepted, suggesting that the volume of drugs passing through Macao may be much higher.
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