A Scottish man has been remanded in custody in Colombia after he was caught allegedly attempting to traffic illegal drugs into Europe.
Ricky Grant Courage, who is reported to be from Aberdeen, was arrested on September 29th after a canine unit operating within the airport was alerted to his bag.
Colombia’s Public Prosecution Service reported the Scot was detained after it was discovered he was carrying 1,976 grams of cocaine in his luggage.
A total of six packages wrapped in black plastic were allegedly found among the personal belongings in the bag which had already been checked in for a flight to Scotland.
A statement from the prosecutor’s office said: “The tourist apparently intended to leave the country for Europe with drugs in his luggage.”
Mr Courage will be held in custody charged with manufacturing, trafficking or carrying narcotics.
The statement continued: “[Ricky] Grant Courage did not accept responsibility for the crime charge and by judicial order, his confinement will take place in San Sebastián Ternera prison in Cartagena.”
It is unclear how long the Scotsman will be detained in the notorious Colombian jail ahead of his trial.
In Colombia, drug trafficking offences carry three different sentences, depending on the type of drug and the amount the individual is found in possession of.
The most serious, which covers those discovered with more than 10kg of marijuana, 2kg of cocaine or 60g of poppy-based drugs, is between 10 and 30 years in prison.
Earlier this year, a 25-year-old British student was arrested in Colombia after allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine disguised as milk powder out of the country.
In 2023, British TikTok star and model Modou Adams, 25, was jailed for six years and eight months in addition to being handed a £1,500 fine after being caught at Jorge Chavez International Airport trying to smuggle close to 3kg of cocaine out of Peru.
