The Ethiopian Federal Police Commission on Friday disclosed the arrest of 80 individuals for alleged connection in drug trafficking activities in the past Ethiopian fiscal year, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
According to the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission's Counter Narcotics Operation team, the 80 individuals, who are said to be nationals of 17 countries, were apprehended for suspected involvement in drug trafficking activities during the just-concluded 2018 - 2019 Ethiopian fiscal year.
Ethiopian police also seized more than 186 kg cocaine, 9 kg heroin, and 1104-kg cannabis mostly trafficked through Bole International airport in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, state-run news agency ENA quoted Mengisteab Beyene, Deputy Director of the Counter Narcotics Operation, as saying n Friday.
The drug was being transported by Nigerians, Brazilians, Venezuelans and South Africans traffickers, who were detained at the Addis Ababa airport, which is regarded as the busiest airport in Africa, the deputy director revealed.
Beyene, who noted that some 23 of the detained individuals were women, also stressed that information sharing among the different security organs at airports makes it easier to monitor travel, particularly on flagged routes.
"Cocaine is the most dangerous drug we frequently intercept during transit with its origin mainly from Latin America,"said Beyene.
"This is mainly because of our airline's accessibility as it has flight destination in Brazil and the country's topography," said Beyene, adding that "cannabis grows in parts of Ethiopia and was being distributed but we disposed most of it from its plot of land."
Postal and DHL services are also manipulated for transporting drugs on the top of air transport, but he said recently such moves are declining due to strict monitoring and controlling works.