Thai French embassy staffer caught with cocaine in Bali

French citizen Keita Ep Toureh, 52, was caught in possession of 3.17 grams of cocaine by Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport customs officers on Saturday.

Toureh, who is a staffer at the French Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, was arrested 11.30 a.m., shortly after his arrival at Ngurah Rai, having traveled on AirAsia flight FD367 from Bangkok.

She had hidden the drug in tissue paper, in her mouth.

Toureh was arrested after customs officers note her suspicious gestures when passing through the customs inspection, Ngurah Rai Customs Supervision and Service Division chief I Made Wijaya said Monday.

The officers had also detected traces of cocaine on her luggage when it went through the airport’s luggage screening.

“Our officers immediately conducted a thorough inspection at our office at the arrival terminal. Our female officer also conducted a body search in a closed room,” Wijaya said.

The investigation revealed four small plastic packages covered with tissue paper inside her mouth. “When we checked her body we found nothing. Our suspicion was alerted we noticed her unusual way of speaking, as if there was something in her mouth,” Wijaya said.

He added that the amount of drug confiscated was expected to be worth more than Rp 6 million (US$234) on the black market.

The suspect allegedly violated the 2009 Law on Narcotics, with a maximum penalty of death, and up to Rp 10 billion in fines.

The legal processing of the suspect has been handed over to Bali Police.