British and French women arrested on cocaine-trafficking charges

A British woman and a French woman have been arrested on drug trafficking charges in Brazil after authorities found 44 pounds of cocaine in their luggage as they tried to catch a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, police said today.

Cecilia Maximilia, a 36-year-old Briton, and 20-year-old Jennifer Salagnac of France were arrested yesterday after authorities using baggage x-ray machines detected the cocaine wrapped in grease-lined packages inside false bottoms installed in their luggage, said federal police inspector Mauro Montenegro.

Police suspect the drugs were packaged in grease in an attempt to thwart detection at Tom Jobim International Airport, Montenegro said.

Maximilia told authorities she is a dancer and Salagnac said she is a beautician. Montenegro did not know their hometowns.

Both were jailed, and will remain incarcerated until a judge decides whether they should be tried on international drug-trafficking charges or deported.

If convicted in Brazil, the maximum penalty is 20 years in prison.

Cocaine is not produced in Brazil, but the country is a major transit point for drug shipments to Europe.