The authorities of Tocumen International Airport in Panama on Friday arrested two Colombian women who were planning to smuggle a quantity of cocaine to Spain by hiding it under their wigs, according to the Public Prosecution Office in the Central American country.
The Public Prosecutor for Drug Control in Panama, Xiomara Rodriguez, initially announced the arrest of one Colombian woman who was on a flight to Madrid.
Drugs hidden in the hair of one of the two women
Police intercepted the woman at the airport, following her hairstyle aroused suspicion.
After examining her with a scanner, the police found that the suspect was hiding narcotic pills on her head, between her natural hair braids and her wig.
Rodriguez indicated that the woman, who did not give any other details regarding her, carried “68 black cylinder packages containing white powder” under her wig.
Rodriguez added in a video clip posted on the Public Prosecution’s account on “Twitter” that this method of drug smuggling is “unprecedented” in Panama.
Drugs hidden in the hair of one of the two women
A few hours later, the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of a “second woman” in possession of “67 drug packages” hidden under her wig, and she was also on her way from Colombia to Spain.
Sources in the Public Prosecutor’s office told AFP that the second suspect was also Colombian.
Panama is the main gateway in Central America for drugs coming from South America, especially from Colombia, the largest producer of cocaine in the world, and heading to the United States, the most consuming country in the world.
However, the Central American authorities noticed a significant increase in drug smuggling into Europe, especially through the ports of the Caribbean.
Drugs hidden in the hair of one of the two women
