DILI, 04 April 2025 (TATOLI) – Timorese authorities, on Friday, discovered and seized 2.94 kg of cocaine in Timor-Leste’s capital, Dili, officials said.
The seizure of the 2.94 kg of cocaine was the result of the close collaboration between the National Department of Criminal Investigation (DICN) of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) and the Customs Authority.
At a press conference held at the PNTL Headquarters in Caicoli, Dili, the DICN’s Acting Director, Assistant Superintendent Mouzinho Correia, explained that officials discovered the cocaine in a suspicious suitcase sent by a French citizen.
According to the police report, the shipment originated from France, passed through Singapore and Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia, before entering Dili on a plane operated by Citilink on Wednesday (2/4).
Correia said that the suspicious package was sent for examination, and the test results confirmed that it contained cocaine — a highly addictive drug that increases users’ levels of alertness, attention, and energy.
Correia said that the PNTL has arrested an individual in connection with the smuggling of the stimulant drug and has also identified the person suspected to be the recipient of the package.
“We don’t know for certain whether it is linked to transnational crime in Mexico or Colombia, but there are indications of connections to organized crime in Nigeria and Mexico,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Joanico Pereira stated that the tests to identify the substance were conducted based on information provided by international authorities.
He said that Timorese authorities coordinated with Denpasar-Bali to carry out the tests, adding it was only on the seventh attempt, using more detailed testing methods, that it was definitively confirmed to be cocaine.
TATOLI
