By A Correspondent

A 27-year-old Latvian man, Vitalis Kudrjasovs, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after attempting to smuggle 8.35 kilograms of heroin through Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

The court was informed that in September 2022, Kudrjasovs arrived at the airport, cleared all customs procedures, and checked in his luggage for baggage screening. However, airport security flagged his luggage after suspicious items were detected during a ground scan.

Upon further inspection, four packages containing heroin were found hidden in compartments of the luggage. In addition to his 15-year sentence, Kudrjasovs was fined US$5,000. Should he fail to pay the fine, he will face an additional five years in prison.