Cannabis Smuggled in False-Bottom Baskets at SSR Airport
A controlled delivery operation led to four arrests after officers found 525g of cannabis hidden in woven raphia bags at Mauritius's main airport.
Four people have been arrested after anti-drug officers intercepted more than 525 grams of cannabis hidden inside woven baskets at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, commonly known as Plaisance Airport, the country's main international gateway located in the south of Mauritius.
The operation began on the evening of Sunday 1 June, at around 9:15 pm, when officers from the ADSU (Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit), working alongside customs officials, stopped a 25-year-old Malagasy taxi driver from Antananarivo as he arrived on an incoming flight.
A search of his luggage uncovered two traditional raphia woven baskets fitted with false bottoms. Inside the concealed compartments, investigators found two plastic bags containing a total of 525.59 grams of cannabis, hidden between the linings of each basket.
Rather than making an immediate arrest, authorities decided to trigger a controlled delivery operation, a law enforcement technique in which a suspected drug shipment is allowed to continue towards its intended recipient so that the full network can be identified and arrested.
Later that same evening, two more suspects were detained: a 54-year-old company director living in Port Louis, and a 23-year-old Malagasy assistant mason also residing in the capital. The following day, a 45-year-old stonemason from Quartier-Militaire, a town in the central highlands of Mauritius, was arrested when he came to collect the package.
Three of the four suspects, the Malagasy courier, the assistant mason and the stonemason, were placed in police custody. The 54-year-old director was questioned and subsequently released pending further investigation.
The ADSU is a specialist unit of the Mauritius Police Force responsible for intercepting drug trafficking at borders and within the country. The unit frequently operates in coordination with airport customs to target international drug couriers, particularly on routes from Madagascar and other Indian Ocean islands.
The investigation is ongoing. No charges have been formally announced at this stage.
Source: ION News
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ADSU in Mauritius?β
The ADSU, or Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit, is a specialist division of the Mauritius Police Force tasked with detecting and combating drug trafficking, both at the country's borders and internally. It regularly conducts joint operations with Mauritius Customs at SSR International Airport and other ports of entry.
What is a controlled delivery operation in drug investigations?β
A controlled delivery is a law enforcement technique where authorities allow a suspected drug shipment to reach its destination under surveillance, rather than seizing it immediately. The goal is to identify and arrest the wider network of recipients and organisers, not just the courier. Mauritius Police and the ADSU use this method regularly in trafficking cases.
What penalties do drug traffickers face in Mauritius?β
Under the Dangerous Drugs Act of Mauritius, trafficking in cannabis can carry significant prison sentences. Convictions for trafficking quantities above certain thresholds can result in sentences of up to 60 years of penal servitude for the most serious offences, depending on the amount and circumstances.
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