Colombian Police Intercept Man Smuggling Cocaine Hidden Under Toupee
BOGOTA, Colombia—Colombian police caught a 40-year-old man trying to smuggle multiple bags of cocaine hidden under a carefully attached toupee.
The suspect was apprehended at Cartagena’s airport on Monday as he was about to board a flight to Amsterdam. A scanner detected the concealed cargo: 220 grams of cocaine divided into small bags, strategically placed beneath what authorities referred to as a “narco wig.”
Authorities estimate the drugs are valued at around 10,000 euros in European markets.
In a police video released on Monday, an officer, wearing blue gloves, gingerly took off the suspect’s wig with scissors, uncovering about a dozen packets of cocaine. Subsequent police reports confirmed the suspect’s previous criminal record, which included two prior drug trafficking convictions.
“Organized crime groups are taking advantage of young people, misleading them into believing they can easily evade our security measures,” said Cartagena Police Commander Gen. Gelver Yesid Peña. “However, this case proves that is not the case.”
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, cocaine production in Colombia has been increasing since 2013.
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