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Drug Mule's Smuggle Trick

Charles Wilson

September 24^th 2011

Man Swallows 72 packets of Cocaine:

A 20-year-old Irishman thought he had the perfect plan to smuggle over two pounds of cocaine (one kilogram) to the lucrative European drug market. In order to get through airport security and past drug sniffing dogs, he would conceal the cocaine, not on his person, but in his person.

He carefully divided his stash into 72 small packets, each less than an ounce, that he carefully sealed, and swallowed them one by one. The value of the drugs was approximately $203,000 (€150,000).

This picture is worth 1000 grams.

Ready to execute the perfect drug smuggling caper, he headed for the busy Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to catch the flight to Brussels, and home. When he was getting ready to board his flight, the Airport Security thought this 20-year-old looked nervous. While that is understandable, I would also be nervous with two pounds of cocaine in my digestive system, it is not a good idea to let others see this. At least not if you are serious about committing the perfect crime.

Somebody quietly approached him and said politely, “Can you come with me Sir?” The answers he gave during his interview at the Airport Security were not convincing, so he was taken to the Santa Misericordia Hospital where he was X-rayed to reveal the 72 packets spread around in his body.

X-ray side view

It appears they were well on their way towards his rectum. He would not have been able to visit the toilet on the flight or risk leaving precious packets in the aircraft’s loo. After being treated with laxatives all 72 packets with a total weight of one pound thirteen ounces (830g) of cocaine were retrieved from the young Irishman’s intestines

Major European airports catch about one travelling smuggler using this technique every month. Sao Paulo Airport is a major drug smuggling route, with about five smugglers being caught every day.

At least he survived his ordeal. A woman died recently while trying the same trick on a flight to New Zealand. But it will be a while until he returns to Ireland. He can expect a sentence up to 15 years. He might be out on parole in 10 years time for good behavior, but will have to stay in Brazil until he has served his full time.

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