Two women were arrested for trying to smuggle nearly two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside their hair extensions at two different airports in Colombia. The arrests, both on November 10, 2022, reminded just how inventive people who traffic in narcotics are and how security must be always on the watch to catch the myriad of creative ways such goods might be obscured.
The first woman had hidden 900 grams of cocaine in her hair, with another 200 grams concealed in her private parts. Actually, the second woman had 650 grams of cocaine in her hair and another 200 grams in her private parts. Both women were headed to Madrid, Spain, when their attempts were foiled by the Colombian authorities.
The arrests were made at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport and the José María Córdova International Airport, and the two women have subsequently been placed in the custody of the Attorney General’s Office. Now the authorities presume that there is a link between the two cases, as it has been identified that both were traveling to the same destination.
Sneaking in drugs through bobby pins is an act of ‘creative concealment,’ it has undercurrents of showing the creative limitlessness of drug traffickers, and at the same time, not going unnoticed is the serious importance of airport security measures in sniffing out such drug-smuggling attempts.
Due to the potential for severity of drug smuggling in Colombia, consequences faced by individuals who are convicted can be very serious, ranging from long prison sentences to heavy fines and asset seizures. It could even be worse if it relates to organized crime or one with a previous conviction.
These successful interceptions underpin the need for relentless cooperation between law enforcement agencies and necessary investments in security technologies that can outsmart the evolving tactics employed by drug traffickers. Tales like this, therefore, represent a word of warning and testimony to those committed souls who form the vanguard in this global war on drugs.
