A British boy was arrested on suspicion of smuggling part of a £1.6million haul of drugs found in Mauritius. The six-year-old was stopped along with his mum and five other Brits by customs officials at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport on Sunday.
A staggering 161 kilos of cannabis were found inside suitcases which belonged to the group. Fourteen kilos were reportedly found inside the boy’s bag, while 17 kilos were found in the mother’s bags.
The other people arrested include Laura Kappen, 28, a bar worker from Orton Goldhay; Shannon Holness, 29, a caterer from Bretton; Shona Campbell, 33, a cleaner from Standground; Lily Watson, a caterer from Peterborough and window fitter Patrick Wilsdon, 21, also from Peterborough, according to The Sun.
Machine operator, Florian Lisman, 38, a Romanian national living in Huntingdon, was also arrested.
The boy’s dad flew to Mauritius to bring him back to Britain on Wednesday (June 25). The authorities in Mauritius described the use of a child as “inhumane”.
The drugs were found in a joint operation by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Section and the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit at the island’s airport.
Seven members of the group remain in custody after appearing in court in the town of Mahébourg on Monday (June 23), a day after flying to Mauritius from London Gatwick.
Carly Wilsdon, mother of Patrick Wilsdon, told The Sun her son had gone to Mauritius after being offered a free holiday.
She said: “It is so hard. He could be looking at 30 years. He has never been in trouble and only been abroad once before.”
A relative of Laura Kappen told the publication she was not a “bad kid”, had never done anything wrong in her life, but guessed she had been “foolish”.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting several British nationals who are detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities.”