Usually the problem is your bags get lost between here and there, but in the case of 30 suitcases filled with cocaine, the bags made it just fine — it was the fact that they weren’t assigned to any passengers on an Air France flight that tipped authorities off. There’s just something fishy about ownerless bags, you see.

French officials were right to be suspicious of the colorful bags hanging out on a flight from Venezuela to Paris: Once they were opened up, the total haul revealed 1.3 tons of pure cocaine, about $270 million worth on the street, reports CNN.com.

The incident went down on Sept. 11, but authorities just now publicized the find. So far, the Venezuela Public Ministry says authorities have detained three members of the National Guard in connection with the magical, ownerless cocaine suitcases.

Several other people have been taken into custody, says France’s Interior Minister Manuel Valls.

This case “illustrates the importance of strengthening International cooperation in the fight against traffickers,” Valls said.

It also probably shows that it’s good to keep an eye on 30 suitcases that are all apparently brightly colored and traveling solo. I wonder if they were actually matching — same brand, similar colors — because that would make it even easier to spot.

$270 million worth of cocaine found on Air France flight [CNN]

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