HomeNewsBriefBrazil Arrests 23 'Cocaine Mules' Traveling to Angola
BRIEF

Brazil Arrests 23 'Cocaine Mules' Traveling to Angola

BRAZIL / 20 JUL 2011 BY JEN SOKATCH EN

Some 23 Nigerian nationals were arrested in Brazil's São Paulo airport, where they were trying to take a flight to Angola. They were allegedly carrying large quantities of cocaine.

Staff became suspicious of the men's nervous demeanour, and decided to put them through an x-ray machine.

The men were found to have ingested cocaine-filled capsules, and one was carrying a suitcase with nearly eight kilos of the drug, according to authorities.

According to the UNODC, some of the cocaine trafficked to Africa is meant for both local consumption, while some is taken onwards to European markets. Angola is Portuguese-speaking, making it easier for Brazilian traffickers to do business with local criminal groups.

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