Man arrested in Jelgava region over recruitment of drug courier who died

Latvia's State Police reported that on 31 May 2025, a man born in 2004 was found dead in a private house in Ozolnieki, Jelgava municipality. There were no initial signs of violent death, but forensic examination found drug intoxication caused by a package containing traces of cocaine that had been in his stomach.

The investigation determined that the deceased had acted as a so-called drug courier, transporting substances inside his own body. Police subsequently identified a suspect — a man born in 1978 — believed to have recruited such couriers.

How the scheme worked

According to police, the man recruited people in Latvia who then traveled to South America. There, they swallowed packages of drugs to smuggle them inside their stomachs, before returning to Latvia to deliver the substances.

A search of the suspect's residence turned up nine oval-shaped packages containing a compressed white powder substance, amounting to just under 64 grams of cocaine.

Arrest and charges

The man was detained on 23 April 2026, and a court ordered his pretrial detention the following day. He faces charges under two articles of the Criminal Law — for the large-scale illegal transport of narcotics resulting in serious consequences, and for their manufacture, storage and distribution as part of an organized group. The more serious of the two offenses carries a potential sentence of up to fifteen years in prison.

The man had no prior record with police in Latvia, but had come to the attention of authorities in Brazil in 2022 in connection with a drug trafficking offense. The pretrial investigation is ongoing.