Three young Norwegians
jailed in Bolivia:
trying to smuggle
cocaine out of the country
Three Norwegian women aged 17 to 22 have been arrested in Bolivia, charged with trying to smuggle cocaine out of the country. One of the women has her two-year-old daughter with her.
 The women are being held at this prison in Bolivia. PHOTO: FOTO: RABBLE/FLICKR.COM |
The women were stopped after they'd checked in at the airport in Cochabamba. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that dogs trained at sniffing out narcotics became interested in their luggage.
Inspectors then found slightly more than 22 kilos of cocaine in the suitcases. Police reportedly said the drugs were found in suitcases belonging to all three women.
They deny they were trying to smuggle cocaine, which would have had a street value in Norway of around NOK 20 million (USD 4 million). They told NRK that they had been on holiday in Bolivia for three weeks, that they did a lot of shopping and needed to buy extra luggage to cart all their purchases home.
The cocaine, they claim, must have been stashed in the new bags that they bought, without their knowledge. One report in Bolivian newspaper La Razon said one suitcase had a double bottom.
The women and the two-year-old girl are being held in a women's prison where conditions are difficult. Staff members from the Norwegian embassy in Argentina are trying to help the women, and make sure they receive food in the prison.
"For us, it's been especially important to make sure the little girl is taken care of," said Nils Haugstveit, Norway's ambassador to Argentina, told Aftenposten.no. He has sent a representative to Cochabamba, and Norway's consulate in Bolivia is also trying to assist the women.
The immediate fate of the child was unclear, with NRK reporting that efforts were being made to get the little girl out of the prison and back to Norway.
Two defense attorneys in Bolivia have been engaged to represent the women, who were ordered by a judge in Cochabamba to be held while the police investigate their case. They face long prison terms if found guilty.
Olav Røli
Anders Hedeman
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund
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