NDEA seizes two consignments of illegal drugs |06 August 2013

 The National Drugs Enforcement Agency’s (NDEA) battle targeting the illegal drug distribution and importation network in the country took a significant step forward following the seizure of two significant consignments of illegal drugs.

The NDEA said this in a communiqué dated August 5, 2013.
One of the seizures involved the discovery of a major haul of illegal drugs, suspected to be cannabis resin that occurred on the outskirts of Beau Vallon, close to the capital, Victoria on the morning of August 2, 2013.

The second seizure occurred the previous day at the Seychelles International Airport when a Kenyan national was arrested following the discovery of a consignment of heroin with a street value of R35,000 that had been ingested by him, and was still in his stomach on his arrival in the country.

Two persons – one male and one female – were taken into custody following the discovery at Beau Vallon and are still in custody awaiting a court appearance.

The male is a 32-year-old unemployed carpenter and the female, a 22-year-old singer.

The presence of the couple in the premises has been known to the NDEA for some time and this premises has been the subject of NDEA surveillance over a period, following reports of drug-related activity in the area.

The drugs seized at Beau Vallon have a street value of more than R300,000 and were found concealed in the grounds of a luxury villa located on the outskirts of Beau Vallon.

One of those arrested has, for a considerable length of time, been suspected by the NDEA to be a leading figure in the drug distribution business. It is believed that this arrest will have a significant impact on the drug distribution business in the country.

The operation to discover the drugs in Beau Vallon followed closely on the interception of a consignment of drugs that were found to have been ingested by a 32-year-old Kenyan salesman who arrived in the country on August 1, 2013 on board a flight from Ethiopia.

NDEA agents, working with the help of fellow stakeholders, made the discovery when they questioned the man after he arrived in the country, and as he was en route to his destination to deliver the drugs.

In a follow-up operation a second man was taken into custody, and both are being held under the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act and related legislation.