THE IRISH passport carried by a man arrested with cocaine in Brazil in his stomach is thought to be genuine, the Department of Foreign affairs said last night.
However the department is trying to verify whether the man is the legitimate holder of the passport.
Brazilian federal police say a young Irish man was arrested with nearly a kilogramme of cocaine in his stomach.
The 20-year-old Irish passport holder was arrested as he tried to board a flight at Sao Paulo airport.
The man was on his way to Brussels, investigators said. Police have only identified the man by his initials PBK.
Officers became suspicious because the man appeared nervous in the airport and they subsequently questioned him.
He admitted to officers that he had swallowed capsules of cocaine. He was taken to hospital where he expelled 72 capsules containing a total of 830g of the drug.
Police released a hospital CT scan of his abdomen which clearly shows the outline of 72 oval-shaped capsules of cocaine in his stomach.
He was arrested by police and is being held on suspicion of international drug trafficking. If found guilty, he faces five to 15 years in prison.
The Department of Foreign affairs has been informed of the arrest by the Brazilians authorities. The man has not yet sought consular assistance from the department.
– (Additional reporting AP)
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