Woman hid two kilos of cocaine in false hair braids

Pointe-À-Pitre, France - A woman who was carrying two kilos (4.4 pounds) of cocaine in false hair braids has been jailed for 18 months in the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe, a regional customs official said Friday.

The 24-year-old woman from Guyana was caught at an airport in March, said Olivier Fouque, regional customs director.

The cocaine was in "tubes hidden in false braids," the official said. The woman was jailed for 18 months and fined 30,000 euros, he added without giving more details.

Fouque cited the woman as an example of new ways being used to get drugs into France's Caribbean islands after the introduction of tougher airport checks.

Last year there were 47 cases of people being detained for carrying cocaine and other drugs in their stomachs, according to the official.

This year, there have been "one or two", he added.

France introduced tougher checks on flights in Guyana in 2022 and the tactic was extended to Guadeloupe and Martinique in March this year.

Fouque said at least 30 "suspect" people had been turned away from flights at France's Caribbean airports this year. — Agence France-Presse