A suspected drug smuggler carrying three kilograms of cocaine through Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) shot at a customs agent last week after reportedly being selected to be searched more thoroughly. Another agent was injured during the incident but allegedly prevented a more serious outcome.
The suspect, a woman from Peru, was arrested, taken into custody, and is being investigated result. The incident did not cause any disruptions to departing and arriving flights.
According to French Magazine, Valeurs Actuelles, the situation happened at Terminal 2E at CDG on July 27th. The Local Europe reported that prosecutors said the suspect was ordered to undergo a search when things became violent. While in customs detention and reportedly being escorted to the bathroom by a customs officer, the woman took possession of the officer’s weapon and shot the officer in the waist.
The woman initially aimed for the officer’s chest area, but a second officer interfered, which forced the woman to shoot lower than intended, causing the bullet to hit the colleague’s groin. The second officer was injured, but not by the bullet, according to a source close to the matter who spoke to Valeurs Actuelle.
“The Peruvian aimed for the chest, but the colleague had the reflex to tap on the weapon to lower the barrel. A second colleague was wounded in the knee, not by bullet, while disarming the offender.”
The officer who was shot was transported to the Robert Ballanger Hospital, about eight miles away from CDG. The victim reportedly underwent an MRI but was conscious with good vitals. The injured second officer’s quick action undoubtedly saved their colleague and prevented the incident from becoming more deadly.
After a customs check of the woman, authorities uncovered three kilograms of cocaine in her luggage.
The suspect is aged in her twenties and now faces an investigation for attempted intentional homicide of a person holding public authority and violation of the legislation on narcotics, according to Valeurs Actuelles.
France’s customs authority, the Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes, prohibits drugs of any kind, including cannabis, and travelers caught possessing or carrying them risk criminal sanctions such as imprisonment or fines.
According to France24, Paris airports regularly deal with drug smugglers, known as drug mules from French Guiana in South America. In 2019, a woman was arrested at Orly Airport after a scan revealed suspicious dark shapes in her bag.
After searching, an agent pulled out seven “Asian seaweed” packets, but they were not lightweight and soft as seaweed would be. Instead, the packets were compact and weighed more than a kilogram. They were unwrapped, and black brick-shaped parcels of cocaine were revealed.
In a more serious case, six people were arrested after police at CDG airport found 1.3 tonnes of pure cocaine packed inside 30 suitcases from an Air France flight from Venezuela in 2013, according to the BBC. Officials believed the drugs were meant for sale and were worth about $270 million.
Sources: Simple Flying, Valeurs Actuelles, The Local, France24, BBC
