Aeromexico flight attendants held in Spain after cocaine shipment found in luggage

December 9, 2010 | 11:50 am

Three Mexican flight attendants have been detained upon arriving in Spain after authorities discovered their luggage contained 140 kilos (308 pounds) of cocaine (link in Spanish). They were identified as three male employees of the Aeromexico airline.

Aeromexico said in a statement Thursday the men were traveling as tourists on non-corporate tickets, and that they've been fired. The three men were found in possession of Aeromexico flight attendant identifications after they were stopped by Spanish anti-drug agents at the Barajas airport in Madrid, Spanish authorities said. They raised suspicion for traveling with identical luggage, the authorities said.

The specific flight number and where it originated within Mexico was not immediately released.

In a statement, the Spanish national police said it was the largest drug shipment ever confiscated at Barajas. The detained men were "taking advantage of their employment as airline flight attendants in an attempt to introduce the drug into our country," the statement said (link in Spanish).

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

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