Authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka have arrested a foreign national from Guyana with 8.5 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated Tk 130 crore.
The passenger, identified as Ms. Karen Petula Staffel, was detained late Monday night, according to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID).
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the CIID said it had received a tip-off on Monday night that a passenger arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha could be involved in drug trafficking.
Acting on the intelligence, customs officials took positions at the airport. The flight landed around 2:30 am, and officials identified the suspect upon arrival.
During baggage scanning, officials discovered 22 oval-shaped foil-wrapped capsules containing cocaine in Staffel’s luggage. The contraband was seized in the presence of representatives from various intelligence agencies. Subsequent tests by the Department of Narcotics Control’s airport unit confirmed the substance as cocaine.
The CIID said that the detained passenger is being handed over to Airport Police Station, where a case is being filed against her.
