A man has been arrested after trying to smuggle cocaine in his wig. The Colombian national was wearing a toupee which was glued to his head.
He planned to board a flight from Cartagena to Amsterdam when he was apprehended. Police cut away the wig which had been glued fast to reveal the stash which consisted of 19 blocks of cocaine.
Video released of the arrest showed officers first examining a scan of the man’s body at Rafael Nunez International Airport before removing his wig, revealing multiple packets containing white powder. These tested positive for cocaine, a police spokesperson said, with around 220 grams of the drug seized.
The man, from the Colombian city of Pereira, has been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, drug manufacturing and carrying narcotics, the country’s national police said. The detained man has two court records for the crime of drug trafficking, a spokesperson added.
The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cartagena, Brigadier General Gelver Yecid Peña Araque, said more than 450 people have been arrested so far this year for drug trafficking and more than 115 kilos of hallucinogens have been seized, including cannabis and and cocaine.
“We are dealing decisive blows against these criminal structures that not only fight over local drug trafficking, but are also the generators of different violent acts and other types of crimes that disrupt peace and coexistence,” he said. “We continue to insist on the importance of the community being our main ally, providing timely information that helps us identify and locate criminals.”
Colombian police said the man had stashed €10,000 (£8,295)-worth of the drug under his toupee while trying to board the flight.
The Brigadier General added: “This individual is profiled by one of our experts and subjected to the procedure. There, through the scanner and a body search, the wig was found which contained more than 220g of cocaine that he intended to take to this country and with this criminal profits got hit.”
Criminals find ingenious ways to smuggle drugs, often from South and Central America into the US and Europe. Recently, nearly 18 pounds of cocaine was found in wheels of cheese destined for the US.
In the past, drug packages have been sewn into dogs, koi fish and even children. Some took advantage of the Covid pandemic by hiding cocaine in a shipment of face masks.
Cartels have used everything from underground tunnels and diplomatic pouches to submarines to get their drugs into other countries.