A routine check-up by customs officials at Václav Havel Airport took a turn for the bizarre when a 36-year-old woman was caught with about 3,720 grams of cocaine in her luggage.
The check-up was arranged on the basis of a routine inspection but revealed a double-bottom trunk in her luggage, much to the suspicion of the officials.
A physical examination of the luggage with a sounding needle later yielded an unknown substance that reacted positively to cocaine in a NIK drug test.
Investigators will now determine the exact amount of cocaine through further analysis. They are also in the process of verifying the drug’s intended destination and whether it was headed to the domestic market or another country altogether.
As for the woman, she was initially detained by customs officers, per Šárka Miškovská, a spokeswoman for the Ruzyně Customs Office in Prague.
Miškovská explained the suspect was later handed over to the General Directorate of Customs so the agency could begin her prosecution on charges of “illicit production and other handling of narcotic and psychotropic substances and poisons.”
After those proceedings, the National Anti-Drug Headquarters now has the authority to commence criminal prosecution.
Drug smuggling in the Czech Republic is punishable by one to five years in prison. The duration varies depending on a few factors, such as the amount of smuggled drugs and whether the offender is a member of an organized group.
