Bruneian
Caught In Chile Trying To Smuggle Cocaine
by
Bru Direct
The tentacles of drug
syndicates have spread so far and wide in the
world that even a relatively small country like
Brunei just cannot evade its reach.
A 26-year-old Bruneian man is currently on remand
at the Santiago Prison in Chile, the first Bruneian
to be apprehended abroad, caught attempting
to smuggle 15 packets of cocaine at the Santiago
International Airport, Chile.
Chief Narcotics Officer Hamzah
Suhaili revealed this at a press conference
at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) headquarters
in Tungku; Gadong yesterday. Also in attendance
was Senior Narcotics Officer Yahya Budin.
CNO Flantzah said international
drug trafficking syndicates are employing several
modus operandi to lure Asians as their drug
couriers and have been successful in influencing
a number of foreigners who are bold enough to
take the risk just for a life sheer luxury.
The syndicates do not only lure
and recruit young girls and women but also men,
although the number of men recruits is relatively
small compared to women.
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One of the syndicate is believed
to have trapped the Bruneian man to smuggle
5.73kg of cocaine hidden inside his suitcase.
The man's travel schedule, investigated
by the NCB, prior to being caught showed that
he had left Brunei for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
on January 27 this year and stayed there for
a week before leaving for Columbia and heading
to Lima, Peru on February 2. He stayed in Lima
for about 23 days.
On February 27, he tried to leave
Santiago to travel to Madrid but before he could
board the flight he was detained by the Chile
police at the airport for trying to smuggle
15 packets of cocaine. He is currently on remand
for further investigation and if found guilty
he will be sentenced accordingly to the laws
in Chile.
The NCB has called on the Bruneian
community, particularly parents and family members,
to educate their children on the dangers of
drug abuse or drug pedaling and highlighted
the need to monitor their children's movements
and whom they mix with.
CNO Hamzah also advised parents
and guardians to call their children's school
or university to confirm when their children
inform them of their participation in programmed
to make sure their intentions are genuine.
He also advised citizens, particularly
youth, not to be easily influenced by sweet-talking
foreigners, who may be the mastermind of drug
trafficking syndicates. Their offer to become
drug mules for a jet-setting lifestyle and luxury
should be shunned.
The syndicate's method could be
through direct contact or through Internet chatting,
CNO Hamzah said. He urged those who have been
offered or approached by these syndicates to
come forward and report to the bureau as such
cooperation will assist the bureau in their
investigations besides helping them to combat
these syndicates from entering the Sultanate
and protect our citizens from fatting prey to
these syndicates' promises.
Bruneians who travel abroad have
been advised not to take parcels, the contents
of which they are not aware of; from strangers.
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