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Two British travellers have been arrested at Valencia Airport after officers found over 33 kilos of marijuana hidden in their luggage. The man and woman, who claimed to be tourists, have already been remanded in custody following a joint operation by the Guardia Civil and Spain’s Tax Agency.

 

The arrests were made after officials monitoring international flights became suspicious of a flight arriving from France. According to the Guardia Civil, two passengers were selected for inspection after appearing “nervous and evasive” before passing through customs.

 

The pair, who told authorities they were from Thailand, were each carrying two large suitcases but claimed to be tourists and insisted they had nothing to declare. However, officers noticed the bags seemed unusually bulky and contained no clothing or personal items.

 

Their luggage was scanned using an X-ray machine, which revealed a large number of sealed containers filled with organic material. Once opened in front of them, the suitcases were found to be packed with vacuum-sealed packages of a plant substance.

 

A drug-detection test confirmed the substance to be cannabis. The total weight of the marijuana came to 33,540 grams, or just over 33 kilos.

 

Both individuals were arrested at the scene on suspicion of drug trafficking, a criminal offence under Spanish law. They were later taken to court and appeared before the Third Court of First Instance and Investigation in Quart de Poblet (a town just outside Valencia). The judge ordered that they be held in prison while investigations continue.

 

The Guardia Civil said the operation was carried out by officers from the UDAIFF (Spain’s National Institute of Traffic and Border Control) in coordination with the Tax and Border Section at Valencia Airport, alongside officials from the Tax Agency.

 

The case has been passed to the Third Court of First Instance and Instruction in Quart de Poblet, which has ordered their imprisonment.

 

 

Image: Guardia Civil