3 Britons arrested in Mauritius for smuggling $1.3m worth of drugs in their stomachs

Three British nationals have been arrested on arrival in the Green Channel at the main international airport in Mauritius by officers of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit and officers of the Mauritius Revenue Authority.

The suspects identified as Aaron Matthew James, a 42-year-old builder, Ashley Tierney, a 32-year-old bricklayer, and Asa Garbutt, a 37-year-old electrician, were suspected of carrying drugs in their stomachs.

The Anti-Drug agency moved to prove its suspicion by taking the suspects for a test and after a medical examination; they were admitted to Jawaharlall Nehru Hospital where they purged the drugs under police surveillance.

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Police allege that the men who are still in hospital and have not yet been brought to court, had been carrying more than 3.3kg (7lb 5oz) of heroin worth about $1.4m (£1m) in their stomachs.

Further reports reveal that the suspects purged a total of 282 drug dumplings with an estimated market value of about 50 million Mauritian Rupees (over $1,350,000).

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