Despite Ethiopian Airlines’ strict drug policy, those fighting drug trafficking claim that passengers are still creating problems by hiding drugs in various parts of their bodies and in their luggage.
Spiritual leader John Wotherspoon, a Hong Kong jail chaplain, gave this statement to the media last Wednesday in Addis Ababa.
According to John Wotherspoon, ten visitors from Addis Ababa were found to be in possession of drugs at the Hong Kong airport in 2023 alone.
“Drug traffickers lure gullible individuals and give them substantial sums of money in exchange for them packing drugs in their luggage. Sometimes, we witness traffickers hiding from airport checks by wrapping plastic wrap around the laxatives they give their victims. As a result, we are able to observe the opioid material that they are concealing in their stomachs, which makes them feel quite ill.”
“for every kilogramme of drugs found at the airport in Hong Kong is 28 years in prison. Because of this, a great deal of individuals are incarcerated, which has a detrimental impact on their own and their families’ life.”
According to the him , there is more drug trafficking seen on flights from Addis Ababa, Dan Paulo, and Johnsburg to Hong Kong than on other carriers.
He continued by saying that he had discussed the idea of using cutting-edge technology to combat drug trafficking at Addis Ababa Airport with the Ethiopian Federal Police.
“I must inform Ethiopia Airlines that they must expand the size of their rigorous airport inspection teams in order to combat drug trafficking. To find the organised crime networks that facilitate drug smuggling and to identify suspected couriers more rapidly, international collaboration is also crucial.
According to a recent assessment by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), criminal gangs in Brazil are using the Bole International Airport as a transit route to move cocaine from Africa to Western and Central Europe and other consumer markets.
According to a recent announcement from the Ethiopian Customs Commission, drug smugglers are using the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport with increasing sophistication and capability.
In response to questions from members of the House of People’s Representatives (HPR), Customs Commissioner Debele Kabeta stated that large amounts of drugs, such as cocaine, are being transported into Ethiopia.
He called for assistance in order to achieve better results in breaking up networks of contrabandists and for a thorough understanding of the situation. Debele said, referring to both imports and exports, “Contraband through the airport is challenging us as they use various techniques, networks, and behaviours.”
Ethiopia is a major country utilised for the transit of cocaine, according to a research paper titled “The Global Report on Cocaine 2023,” which looked at the creation of new cocaine trafficking hotspots worldwide.