LUSAKA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's anti-drug agency on Tuesday arrested a 64-year-old British national of Tanzanian origin for trafficking more than 5.734 kilograms of cocaine.

The Briton, identified as Semahimbo Juma Yusuph, was arrested at the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola city in Copperbelt Province as he attempted to check in for a flight en route to Germany.

Mwenge Mulenga, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) public relations officer, said the suspect, an ex-convict in the United Kingdom, was suspected to be affiliated with an international drug cartel operating in Tanzania and Germany.

"Our preliminary investigations indicate that he entered the country via a Tanzanian airline and received the illicit consignment from unidentified accomplices who infiltrated the country through road transport," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The carefully concealed narcotics were detected by vigilant airport staff and DEC officers during routine screening procedures, he added.

According to the spokesperson, the significant quantity of narcotics seized in the operation underscores the high potential threats posed by drug trafficking, adding that Zambia's strategic geographical location was being made as a transit point for regional trade in drugs. Enditem

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