Turkish police seize cocaine capsules in drug trafficker's stomach
ANKARA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua/GNA) -- An Ecuadoran smuggler swallowed 66 capsules of cocaine in an attempt to bring the drug into Turkey but was found and arrested by the police, Turkish media reported Monday.
The trafficker caught police attention at the customs in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport and accepted an X-ray check on his stomach, the semi-official Anatolia news agency quoted officials as saying.
The capsules were taken out after a two-day medication at the hospital and altogether 700 grams of cocaine were discovered, said the report.
The suspect conceded he was carrying the drug from Colombia to Turkey for 5,000 U.S. dollars, according to the report.
In a separate report on Monday, Anatolia said security forces had seized 140 kg of heroin and detained six people in five operations in the eastern province of Van in the past four weeks.
Turkey is a key transit route for smuggling drugs from Asia and the Middle East to markets in western Europe.
GNA