border patrol
A U.S. Border Patrol officer questions a traveler heading into the United States from Canada. (AP photo)

Border bust: Drug mule ate 3 pounds of cocaine

BY Jillian Raftery  on May 19, 2012 @ 8:31 am (Updated: 9:33 pm - 5/20/12 )

Canadian authorities arrested a man who raised the suspicions of Border Security officers at the border's currency exchange on Friday. They saw his swollen stomach and thought he may have eaten drug filled balloons.

In fact, the man had eaten a total of 42 cocaine- filled latex condoms.

"He was immediately arrested by Border Services officers and escorted to a hospital, where the traveler's health could be monitored and the drugs obtained in a controlled environment," says St. John.

Medical examiners x-rayed the man once he was in custody and saw the condoms in his stomach. After that, they had to keep the suspect in custody until they came out on their own. Sometimes the drug filled balloons can take up to sixteen hours to pass through the gastrointestinal tract.

At the hospital, authorities were able to measure the weight of the 42 condoms at 2.8 pounds (1.26 kilograms) once they had all come out.

When doctors were sure that no condoms were left in the man's stomach, they confirmed the contents: liquid cocaine.

"It is rare for officers to intercept narcotics that are concealed this way," explains officer St. John.

Usually it is very difficult for officers to find smugglers who have eaten drugs like cocaine or heroine because drug sniffing dogs cannot smell the balloons in the smugglers' stomachs.

"Ingesting narcotics as a means to smuggle is a drastic and dangerous concealment method," says Faith St. John, a Canadian Border Security Officer.

Most of the time, smugglers are caught when a balloon breaks inside their stomach and they start to overdose.

In this case, the suspect was not harmed and was turned over to the Canadian Police for questioning.

Jillian Raftery, Social Media Captain
Jillian Raftery is a social media captain for the Dori Monson Show. She loves the neighborly vibe of the Pacific Northwest and spends as much time as possible outdoors.
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Comments (2)


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  • dori monson fan wrote...
    the kobiyashi
    May 19, 2012 11:59 pm
    of cocaine? and rachelle b. thought 20 motzaballs was tough! try 3 lbs of profilactics!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    Very sad.......
    May 20, 2012 6:20 am
    but funny.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }