A British mother and her 19-year-old daughter have been arrested at Valencia Airport after allegedly attempting to fly home with suitcases packed with cocaine.
Officers from the Guardia Civil intercepted the pair at Manises Airport, where they had already checked in their luggage for a flight to Birmingham.
Inside the two suitcases, agents discovered a staggering 42kg of cocaine, confirming suspicions that the pair were acting as drug couriers.
‘Tourists’ with a tight schedule
The suspects had arrived in Valencia earlier in the week, supposedly to spend a few days enjoying the city during Easter celebrations.
However, their plans raised suspicions as they had booked a return flight for Thursday night – meaning they would miss the main events of the Semana Santa Marinera, one of the city’s biggest annual attractions.
Drug haul found in luggage
The drugs were not particularly well hidden, according to investigators.
Officers found the cocaine split into 23 packages and 13 tablet-like blocks, all stored inside the checked luggage.
While the purity of the substance is still being analysed, tests confirmed it was cocaine.
Jailed without bail
Following their arrest, both women were brought before a court in Quart de Poblet.
A judge ordered them to be held in pre-trial detention without bail, as part of an ongoing investigation into a serious public health offence linked to drug trafficking.
The case is now being treated as a major smuggling attempt, with authorities working to determine whether the pair were acting alone or as part of a wider criminal network.
