RAWALPINDI: A mid-air flight of Pakistan Interna­tional Airlines (PIA) going from Islamabad to Dubai on Wednesday was ordered by authorities concerned to land at the nearest airport in the country after they re­ce­ived information that a large quantity of narcotics was being smuggled through it.

The Dubai-bound PK-211 was flying over Balochistan when its captain received the message. He diverted the plane towards Karachi and landed it at the Jinnah International Airport.

A search carried out inside the plane with the help of sniffer dogs led to detection of 3.1kg of heroin hidden behind the lavatory cabinets. Six packs of heroin were concealed inside the tissue paper cabinet.

According to airport sources, the plane took off from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad at 12.50pm.

A spokesperson for PIA said the cabin crew had detected the narcotics in the lavatory and they informed the air traffic control.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2015

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