23kg heroin seized at airport

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani man was caught trying to smuggle 23 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated 2.3 million dollars on a flight to Spain early on Monday, customs authorities announced, describing it as one of their biggest seizures in a decade.

Customs officials discovered the stash stuffed in cushion covers during a search of the man’s suitcase in the departure lounge of Islamabad’s international airport just after midnight, a senior customs official said. “I believe this is the largest seizure of heroin being smuggled through the airport for the last 10 years,” the official told reporters, asking not to be named.

The man, who holds Spanish residency papers, caught the attention of customs inspectors when he tried to avoid the luggage inspection section, the official said. The heroin was wrapped in black plastic bags and stuffed inside the small sofa cushions. The passenger was arrested and is being interrogated by customs investigators, the official said. —AFP

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