Italy arrests Nigerian with heroin stash in stomach
By : AFP
Date:
18 July 2019 8:11pm WAT
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A handout picture taken and released on July 18, 2019 by the Italian Carabinieri press office shows two Carabinieri officers analysing 94 large heroin capsules found in the stomach of a Nigerian passenger, of 39 years old, who landed at the Rome's Fiumicino airport, on July 13, 2019 with a flight from Addis Adeba. - Italian Carabinieri announced on July 18, 2019 to have arrested a Nigerian man who arrived at Rome's Fiumicino airport with 1.7 kg of heroin hidden in his stomach. He was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital, where radios revealed the presence of 94 plastic capsules. (Photo by - / ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
A handout picture taken and released on July 18, 2019 by the Italian Carabinieri press office shows two Carabinieri officers analysing 94 large heroin capsules found in the stomach of a Nigerian passenger, of 39 years old, who landed at the Rome's Fiumicino airport, on July 13, 2019 with a flight from Addis Adeba. - Italian Carabinieri announced on July 18, 2019 to have arrested a Nigerian man who arrived at Rome's Fiumicino airport with 1.7 kg of heroin hidden in his stomach. He was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital, where radios revealed the presence of 94 plastic capsules. (Photo by - / ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
A handout picture taken and released on July 18, 2019 by the Italian Carabinieri press office shows two Carabinieri officers analysing 94 large heroin capsules found in the stomach of a Nigerian passenger, of 39 years old, who landed at the Rome’s Fiumicino airport, on July 13, 2019 with a flight from Addis Adeba. – PHOTO: ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP
Italian police said Thursday they had detected 1.7 kilos (3.8 pounds) of heroin a Nigerian man had stashed in 94 plastic capsules inside his stomach as he tried to exit Rome’s Fiumicino airport.
The 39-year-old had disembarked a flight from the Ethiopian capital Addis Abeba but officers picked up on his nervousness as he went through passport control and detained him.
They took him for a hospital scan which showed up the drugs.
The man was placed under close surveillance for three days while the capsules passed through his system and he was then hauled off to jail.
Airport officials told AFP dozens of drug “mules” — most carrying cocaine or heroin — are stopped annually at Fiumicino. The majority fly in from Africa, typically stopping over there after a flight from Latin America.
