Alex Trelinski
AN ELDERLY drug mule, 76, was among three people arrested at Madrid airport on Sunday for trying to 200 kilos of cocaine into Spain.
The detainees came in on flights from the Dominican Republic and Colombia.
The drugs was hidden inside five suitcases, distributed in 158 packages of different weights, measurements and packaging.
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They were intercepted by the Guardia Civil in the baggage claim areas of the airport.
The arrested trio, of Italian and Colombian origin, are aged between 23 and 76, and have been charged with a crime against public health.
Guardia officers seized the cocaine as part of their routine work to counter smuggling.
The ÍCARO team (Identification of Anomalous Behaviour and Operational Reaction) were also involved.
They carry out a risk analysis in baggage reclaim areas daily, where passengers and suitcases are selected to carry an exhaustive check.
Two of Sunday’s seized suitcases were not been claimed by any passenger.
