Smugglers Try to Use Bugs As Drug Mules

Thu Oct 4, 2007 11:34 AM EDT

AMSTERDAM — As drug mules, bugs don't carry much. And they didn't get by customs in the Netherlands. A customs officer who took a close look at a consignment of more than 100 large, dead bugs sent from Peru to the Netherlands discovered cocaine had been stashed in their backs.

"We see a lot of things, but this was a first for us," customs spokesman Kees Nanninga said Thursday.

"It looked like they were cut open, the drugs hidden in their backs and then they were glued back together again," he said.

The insects held only about 10 ounces of cocaine, worth about $11,000, Nanninga said.

The discovery was made this summer in a routine check at a postal sorting office, but was made public Thursday. Nanninga said he did not know if anyone was prosecuted as a result of the find.

12 Votes
Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.

Published to:

Associated Press's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Silly and Stupid
Regions: Netherlands , Peru , Amsterdam

What's this?

Who's leading the conversation?

This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.

2.1