Drug smuggling by body packers. Detection and removal of internally concealed drugs

Abstract

International drug couriers frequently seek to evade detection by concealing drugs within the body. "Swallowers" swallow packages which they hope to retrieve after travelling; "stuffers" insert packages into the rectum or vagina. The danger of these practices is that packages can leak or burst, leading to a potentially fatal drug overdose. One drug courier arrested in South Australia had swallowed 143 separate parcels of heroin and morphine. Detection of concealed drugs is by abdominal, rectal or vaginal examination, aided by radiological investigation. Surgical removal may be required if swallowed packages burst or begin to leak. Doctors servicing prisons and airports need to be aware of how body packers can be detected and managed.