THREE more Angolans have been arrested at the Ndola International Airport for trafficking in 249 pellets of pure grade cocaine weighing over 2.87 kilograms, bringing the number of nationals from that country who have been arrested in the last 21 days for the same offence to five.

Meanwhile, over 60 kilogrammes of cannabis were seized in the last five days from various parts of the country, where 38 people were arrested in connection with being in posession of psychotropic substance.

The trio, arrested on Sunday, was coming from Brazil aboard a South African Airways plane.

Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) public relations and Press liaison officer John Nyawali said in a statement yesterday that the three who had been identified as Andre Mateus Zolani, 37, Francisco Adak Neto and Rodrigo Joao Lufungula all of Luanda Angola had swallowed an average of 83 pellets each.

Mr Nyawali said it took the trio three days to expel the pellets from their stomachs.

They are in custody and will appear in the Ndola Magistrate court soon.

He said over 450 pellets of the narcotic drug with a weight of about five kilogrammes had been seized in the last 21 days.

Mr Nyawali said investigations had shown that the increase in trans-national drug trafficking activities were being championed by an international and local cartel of drug barons who wanted to take advantage of the African cup of nations in Angola and World cup in South Africa, respectively.

"However, additional operational measures have been put in place to ensure that drug trafficking activities around the region are cut off and not even a single gram finds its way onto the market,' Mr Nyawali said.

Mr Nyawali said over 60 kilogrammes of cannabis were seized in the last five days from various parts of the country where 38 people were arrested.

Also arrested were three Somali nationals who were found trafficking in mirra.