A 27-year old Polish man and a 46-year old British tourist were arrested separately in Peru’s Jorge Chávez International Airport on Sunday, after officials found three and nine kilos, respectively, of cocaine tucked away in their luggage, daily El Comercio reported.
Jacek Gostomski, a Polish citizen, had allegedly planned to smuggle the drugs to Amsterdam, and stashed the valuable cargo in his backpack, tightly wrapped in a black plastic bag.
Brit Nicolás Velounias intended to board a flight to London, and hid the cocaine in his sleeping bag.
Most drug mules, or ‘burriers’ as they are called in Peru — a fusion of “courier” and “burro,” or donkey — are Latin American, but a significant number are European.
Trapped by a snail-paced legal system, most accused drug couriers are locked up for years awaiting trial, facing drug trafficking sentences that range anywhere between five and 15 years. There they face, like all local prisoners, horrific conditions of overcrowding and few basic facilities, exposed to corruption, drugs, prostitution, and often rat-infested cells. Prison time is hardest on prisoners who have no relatives or friends to supply basic items such as toiletries or reading materials.
Excellent news! Fingers crossed Mr Velounias is treated to the full benefits of the Peruvian legal system.