Benin authorities charge politician over cocaine haul
None
COTONOU- Authorities in Benin on Friday charged prominent politician Sebastien Ajavon with drug trafficking in connection with a haul of 18 kg (40 pounds) of cocaine found last week in a shipping container.
Ajavon, who is also one of Benin's richest businessmen, came third in a presidential election in March. Detained more than a week ago, he denied charges of transporting and trafficking illegal drugs when he appeared before a tribunal in the commercial Cotonou, witnesses said.
Maritime police said they discovered the haul at the port of Cotonou in a container destined for one of his companies.
With its porous borders and corruptible officials, West Africa has for over a decade been a transit point for Latin American cocaine en route to Europe. But improved maritime policing in recent years has helped drastically reduce the volume of cocaine passing through the region.
