British child, six, arrested as '14kg of drugs found in case' after landing at airport
A six-year-old child has been arrested after he was reportedly part of a group attempting to smuggle substances worth £1.6 million across the border.
The Brit was stopped as part of a group of eight after touching down Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport in Plaine Magnien, Mauritius on Sunday 22 June.
In total, an eye-watering 161 kilograms of cannabis was found in their suitcases, with 14kg alone being found in the boy's bag.
Customs officers were left stunned, as the case marked yet another instance of British drug mules getting caught in the act of the crime overseas.
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The Daily Mail also report that eleven numbered Apple AirTags were discovered among the baggage items.
According to The Sun, six British adults have been arrested, in addition to one Romanian national residing in the UK.
It is said that the boy's father had flown to Mauritius to bring the child back to Britain on Wednesday (25 June), after officials described the use of the child as a drug mule as 'inhumane'.
On Monday (23 June), just one day after arriving from London Gatwick, the seven adults appeared in a court in the town of Mahébourg, and remain in custody.
The illegal substances were found in an operation carried out by both the Customs Anti-Narcotics Section (CANS) and the Anti-Drug & Smuggling Unit (ADSU) at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport.
A Foreign Office spokesperson has stated: "We are supporting several British nationals who are detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities."
The arrests have become the latest case in a string of British drug mule cases, as experts say that people are lured into the deal by being offered the 'lucrative offer' of a free holiday, as long as they smuggle drugs or a mysterious package across the border.
One of the more recent cases involved British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested and charged with drug offences in Tbilisi, Georgia, after she had disappeared in Thailand.
She could be facing up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty of smuggling.
Charlotte May Lee, 21, was also allegedly found trying to import 46kg of a synthetic drug 'kush' into Sri Lanka after flying in from Thailand.
British mother Cameron Bradford was also arrested on drugs charges after flying out of Thailand, after the 21-year-old decided to travel to Germany instead of the UK.
Joshua Nair