Police in Colombia have raided a cartel accused of recruiting women to smuggle liquid cocaine in breast implants.
The organisation, called 'Los Cirujanos' (The Surgeons), was hit during two separate raids - one in the city of Cali in the Colombian department of Valle del Cauca, and the other in the city of Medellin in the department of Antioquia.
In total, six men and four women were arrested for trafficking drugs into Spain and the rest of Europe.
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The gang allegedly recruited women and made them undergo illegal operations in hotel rooms or rented apartments to implant liquid cocaine into their implants.
They also used so-called 'calf implants', designed to give women more shapely legs, to smuggle the drugs by replacing the silicon with liquid cocaine.
Upon arrival in Europe, the women were later send to Madrid where the implants were removed by gang members.
One of the detainees has been identified as a renowned Medellin hospital doctor, and another suspect is a specialist at a hospital in Cali.
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Another detainee is accused of pretending to be a doctor to recruit female victims with promises of work in Spain.
All suspects are being held while the investigation continues.
Attempting to smuggle cocaine across borders in body parts is nothing new, of course.
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A British man was caught at Brussels Airport trying to smuggle cocaine into Belgium by hiding it in an artificial penis.
The man was arrested on 8 February having arrived from Jamaica.
He tested positive for cocaine, and subsequently was taken to the University hospital of Jette in Brussels for further investigation.
Het Nieuwsblad reported that, once there, doctors and police officers determined the man had 'equipped himself with an artificial penis' and had hidden white powder inside - which turned out to be 127g of cocaine.
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The man stated he had been visiting his mother in Jamaica, and that while he was there an acquaintance offered him cocaine.
He claimed he decided to take it with him so that he could take it himself, once home.
According to Het Nieuwsblad, the public prosecutor's office could not confirm whether the man had acted on behalf of a drug gang, but demanded he receive a 36-month prison sentence.
His defence reportedly asked for the sentence to be suspended due to the man's health problems, with his lawyer arguing: "My client has kidney failure and needs to exercise as well as follow a proper diet.
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"Both fail in our prisons, so I ask for a suspended sentence."
The judge sentenced him to two years in prison.
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