EAL suspends 35 employees for drug trafficking

By Groum Abate

 Ethiopian Airlines has suspended about 35 of its employees after the South African Customs Authority at Johannesburg Airport reportedly caught them smuggling Chat into South Africa.
The South African Customs complained that the number of smugglers is on the rise and surprisingly they are mostly employees of EAL. The airline requested that the names of those caught red-handed be forwarded to it and decided to suspend those on the list, for unspecified duration. The reason stated on the letter of suspension to the employees is drug trafficking.
A committee is formed, according to sources that would review the matter and may decide on further action against the suspended employees. Surprisingly, these same sources told Capital that the number of smugglers is still on the increase.
Anyone who is caught trying to smuggle Chat to South Africa would be fined up to 5,000 Rand and would have to serve a short jail time. Ethiopian Airlines employees would hence face punishment in South Africa and would additionally face suspension from their employment back home.
South Africa has banned entry and use of Chat classifying it as dangerous drug and; Ethiopian and South African Airways have signed an agreement forbidding the transport of illegal drugs including Chat through their respective aircrafts.