José “N” prosecuted in alleged 24.9-kg cocaine case at Cancún airport

Noticaribe reports that Mexico’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FGR) in Quintana Roo obtained the formal prosecution of José “N” in a case involving the alleged transport of 24 kilograms, 907 grams and four milligrams of cocaine found in a suitcase at Terminal 4 of Cancún International Airport. Noticaribe says a control judge also ordered justified pretrial detention and set a three-month period for the complementary investigation to close.

According to information attributed by Noticaribe to the FGR, National Guard personnel conducting prevention and surveillance operations at the airport, assisted by a trained canine, detected a possible narcotics odor in luggage. The person identified as the suitcase’s owner reportedly said he did not recognize the bag but did recognize its identification tag, after which the luggage was seized and placed under the authority of the FECOR regional-control prosecutor’s office. Noticaribe reports that investigators reviewed airport surveillance footage and concluded, according to the FGR, that José “N” entered with different luggage and that another person may have moved the tag onto the suitcase containing the cocaine.

The FGR then sought an arrest warrant, which a control judge granted, and prosecutors presented their evidence after the warrant was carried out. Noticaribe reports that the case remains under investigation and that the allegations have not been finally adjudicated. José “N” must be treated as innocent unless a competent court issues a final conviction.