A Canadian national has been arrested in Colombia
after trying to board a flight to Toronto with a phony pregnant belly stuffed
with cocaine, police say.
The tourist caught the attention of
a policewoman at Bogota's International Airport who allegedly asked her how far
along she was.
She reacted aggressively, which
aroused the suspicion of officials who went on to search her.
This year, nearly 150 people were caught
with drugs at Bogota's airport.
About a third of them were foreign
nationals, according to the Colombian authorities.
'Delicate touch'
The Canadian national had entered
Colombia at the beginning of August and was about to board a flight to return
to Toronto, when a policewoman asked her how long she had been pregnant.
"[The Canadian] didn't like the
question, which made the official suspicious. Instinctively, she then very
delicately touched the lady's belly, realising it was too hard and extremely cold,"
said the deputy director of Colombia's police anti-narcotics section, Colonel
Esteban Arias Melo.
The latex belly was stuffed with
cocaine
The woman allegedly said she was
seven months pregnant.
After performing a body search, the
police found two sealed bags stashed inside the latex belly, which contained
2kg (5lb) of cocaine.
Colombian authorities say the
Canadian national will be charged with drug trafficking, possession and
production and could be sentenced to between five and eight years in prison.
The drugs would have had a street
value price of around $60,000 (£94,000), Colombian police said.
Government officials say 874 foreigners
are currently being held in the country's jails, the majority on drug charges. (BBC)
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