Elderly British Man, 79, Caught Smuggling Drugs Worth Over Rs 2 Crore In Chile

A British pensioner has been arrested in Chile for allegedly attempting to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine, according to The Metro. The 79-year-old man arrived in Santiago from Cancun, Mexico, and was preparing to travel to Australia.

Authorities detained him after a scanner detected a suspicious substance in his suitcase. Upon conducting a thorough search, officers found a concealed compartment in his luggage where the drugs were hidden. Police estimate that the methamphetamine would have been worth approximately 200,000 pounds (Rs 2.3 Crore) on the streets of Chile.

Airport police chief Sergio Paredes said it was the first time the arrested man had entered Chile.

He told The Metro: "This person came from Mexico, and when he was arrested and taken to the anti-narcotics squad's airport offices, he said that the suitcase had been received by some Mexican nationals at Cancun airport."

The man was due to spend a night in a hotel in the capital before boarding a flight to Sydney.

Paredes said police were still investigating whether the drugs were due to remain in Chile or be smuggled to Australia.

He told local press: 'Prosecutors are looking into this and trying to establish whether the drug was for internal consumption or was due to be transported by this British national to Australia.'

Chilean customs officers released pictures of the four packages they had confiscated, saying, "Customs officials intercepted a foreign citizen with more than five kilos of methamphetamines hidden in a secret compartment in his luggage at Santiago Airport."

"He was stopped after his luggage was scanned and has been remanded in custody."

Meanwhile, a string of recent arrests has highlighted the issue of British nationals getting caught up in international law enforcement for drugs smuggling. Examples include Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, and Charlotte May Lee, a former TUI flight attendant arrested in Sri Lanka with a substantial quantity of 'Kush'. The individual detained in Chile is older than many of those recently apprehended.