Man Caught Attempting to Smuggle a Dozen Bags of Cocaine Hidden Underneath

Bogotá, Colombia — Colombian police recently caught a 40-year-old man trying to smuggle cocaine hidden under his toupee. This incident took place at Cartagena’s airport as he was getting ready to fly to Amsterdam.

Authorities discovered 220 grams of cocaine carefully packed in small bags beneath what they called a “narco wig.” The drugs are valued at around 10,000 euros (about $10,500) in Europe.

A video shared by the police showed an officer gently cutting away the suspect’s wig. Underneath, officers found nearly a dozen packets of cocaine. The suspect has a history of drug trafficking, with two previous convictions.

Gen. Gelver Yesid Peña, commander of the Cartagena police, remarked on how organized crime is luring young people with false promises of easily escaping security checks. He emphasized that this case proves that those assumptions are wrong.

The issue of cocaine production in Colombia has been on the rise since 2013. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently reported that coca cultivation increased by 10% in 2023, while cocaine production jumped by 53% from the previous year. Despite efforts to reduce coca farming through a 2016 peace deal with FARC rebels, smaller armed groups have taken advantage of the situation to promote cocaine trade.

This is not the first time someone has tried to smuggle drugs under a wig. In July 2019, a man in Barcelona was arrested with about a pound of cocaine hidden under a similar disguise. He drew attention because he seemed nervous, and his wig looked too big for his head. A sealed package taped to his scalp contained 503 grams (1.1 pounds) of cocaine, worth over 30,000 euros ($34,000).