22 kg of cannabis found in passenger’s luggage at Bucharest airport

Romanian Border Police have seized roughly 22 kilograms of cannabis at Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport (Otopeni) after discovering the drugs in the checked luggage of a 35-year-old Albanian citizen arriving from Athens, Greece.

According to the official statement, officers from the Bucharest Airports Border Surveillance and Control Center conducted a random inspection on October 17 and found the narcotics concealed in 49 vacuum-sealed bags. The discovery was made during a routine luggage screening for passengers arriving on a commercial flight from Athens.

Prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) were notified and ordered the man’s detention on suspicion of international drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute. Investigators believe the suspect obtained the cannabis in Greece and attempted to smuggle it into Romania by air.

The Ilfov County Organized Crime Police Department assisted in the judicial proceedings, which led to a formal request submitted to the Bucharest Tribunal for a 30-day pre-trial detention order.

The suspect benefits from the presumption of innocence until a final court ruling is issued.

(Photo source: Politiadefrontiera.ro)