Local law enforcement officials have told the American authorities that Barbados is seeing an increasing number of drug mules ingesting their illegal contraband to get it into the country.
That’s according to the recently released 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report compiled by the United States State Department which referred to one incident in August last year when ten passengers on one flight were found to have swallowed drugs.
“Law enforcement officials report an increasing number of drug couriers arriving via air, notably on flights from Jamaica, smuggling drugs in their stomachs,” stated the Drug And Chemical Control section on Barbados.
On the drug demand prevention front, it said police believed that the National Council On Substance Abuse (NCSA) and the National Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (NCPADD) needed to change their strategies.
“Police contacts assess these entities need to revise their strategy, pointing to continued high levels of cannabis consumption among the populations and increased youth drug,” the document stated.
Up until October 13, drug hauls in Barbados included 5 000 kilos of cannabis, the vast majority of which was seized at sea; 64 kilos of cocaine, ten per cent of which was made at sea; and one ecstasy tablet, seized from an incoming air passenger, according to the report.
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