Armenian customs officers thwart drug smuggling attempt
Customs officers at Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport have foiled an attempt to smuggle over 1,200 grams of cocaine into the country.
In a statement released on Friday, the State Revenue Committee (SRC) said its officers found the drugs after the customs inspection of a Brazilian citizen who arrived in Yerevan from Sao Paulo.
There was suspicion that the man, identified by his initials as L.P., had hidden drug packages in his body.
The suspect was taken from Zvartnots Airport to a medical center where a CT scan detected foreign bodies in his colon.
As a result of various medical procedures, 120 oval capsules containing cocaine and weighing a total of 1,216 grams were removed from the man’s body. The market value of the seized narcotics exceeds $300,000.
The Brazilian citizen has been arrested as part of a criminal probe into drug trafficking launched by Armenia's Investigative Committee.