A tourist has a frightening tale to tell after French customs officers found a stash of cocaine in a suitcase that had his name on it but didn’t belong to him. French officials said the illicit drugs, worth more than €1.3million (£950,000) in street value, were discovered in a suitcase that arrived at the airport in Nice on a flight from the Dominican Republic. The country’s Directorate-General of Customs said 18 packages containing 46lbs (21kg) of cocaine were stuffed inside a suitcase that was abandoned on the baggage carousel. French customs officials at Nice airport said the drugs were found after a flight arrived from the Caribbean . Officers detained the baffled tourist, who was waiting for his luggage, at the airport and questioned him about the drugs. A statement issued by the Directorate-General of Customs said officers are satisfied that the bag did not belong to the tourist and he had nothing to do with the drug smuggling attempt. The department said their investigation found that smugglers in the Dominican Republic filled the suitcase with cocaine and used the tourist’s identity in an attempt to sneak the drugs into France through Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport. Authorities continue to investigate to find out who packed the bag and how it wound up on the transatlantic flight. Officials questioned the tourist whose name was on the bag and are satisfied he did not smuggle the cocaine . Last year French customs officers seized more than six tonnes of cocaine at the country’s ports of entry. A similar incident occurred last year when a college student arrived at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport from Trinidad and Tobago. The 21-year-old woman called police after she opened her suitcase and found 10lbs of cocaine inside. Police believe the woman was used as an unwitting drug mule and were investigating how the drugs were placed inside her suitcase after it was checked in.
Officials said the man's name was on a suitcase that didn't belong to him.
Packages containing 46lbs of cocaine were found inside the bag.
The baffled tourist was hauled in for questioning at the airport in Nice.
Police are satisfied that his name was fraudulently used on the bag.