Zug police arrest drug courier

The Zug police arrested a so-called ‘body packer’ on Friday, January 10th. The 21-year-old had several finger cots in his body. The Nigerian was also illegally in Switzerland.

On Friday afternoon, January 10, the Border Guard Corps checked a 21-year-old man on the train from Milan to Zurich. The investigations revealed that the Nigerian had entered Switzerland despite an entry ban that still applied, and was therefore illegally in Switzerland. He was handed over to the Zug police for further clarifications.

In the subsequent questioning, suspicion arose that the traveller was a so-called ‘body packer’. The public prosecutor of the canton of Zug then ordered an X-ray examination in the hospital, where it was found that the 21-year-old had 16 finger cots (finger gloves – latex protective cover for a finger) in his digestive tract. The finger cots were handed over to the Forensic Institute in Zurich (FOR) for a precise determination of the substance and the weight.

The alleged drug courier was brought to the public prosecutor's office in the canton of Zug, which then opened criminal proceedings for infringement of the Narcotics Act and infringement of the Aliens and Integration Act. An application for pre-trial detention (for remand in custody) was also made to the Compulsory Measures court (Zwangsmassnahmengericht).