Woman is caught smuggling drugs in a fake watermelon belly

Knocked up to locked up: Woman is caught smuggling cocaine hidden inside fake pregnancy bump made from a watermelon

  • The woman boarded a bus bound for Rio de Janeiro with drugs under her dress
  • Her ‘baby bump’ turned out to be a watermelon stuffed with bricks of cocaine
  • The drugs weighed more than 4lbs and were seized by Sao Paulo authorities  

A woman who smuggled cocaine in a watermelon which she disguised as a baby bump has been arrested in Brazil.  

Pretending to be pregnant, the woman boarded a bus bound for Rio de Janeiro but she was searched after police were tipped off about a drugs case. 

In a twist that surprised even the military police, her belly turned out to be a watermelon which in turn was filled with four brick-sized portions of cocaine. 

Described as a cocaine ‘paste’, the drugs weighed more than four pounds and were seized by Sao Paulo authorities on Monday. 

The plot unmasked: A Brazilian drug courier pretended to be pregnant (left), but her belly turned out to be a watermelon (centre) which was filled with bricks of cocaine (right)  

According to police, the woman confessed that she had received the drugs in Paraguay and was planning on taking them to Rio. 

Arrested in Guara, she was taken to a police station after the police motorcycle squad brought her in on Monday. 

According to local media she was set to be paid 500 Brazilian reals, about $100, for transporting the drugs to the Brazilian megacity. 

Sao Paulo’s military police described the failed smuggling operation as ‘creativity without limit’. 

Sao Paulo's military police described the failed smuggling operation as 'creativity without limit' as they shared pictures of the bust

Sao Paulo’s military police described the failed smuggling operation as ‘creativity without limit’ as they shared pictures of the bust

They also posted pictures of the watermelon disguise on social media, along with images of the four cocaine ‘bricks’.  

Long seen as a market for cocaine from elsewhere in South America, Brazil has also become one of the main suppliers to Europe in recent years.  

Brazilian syndicates are thought to have infiltrated ports and sent the narcotics on container ships bound for Europe, where the market is worth more than $10billion.

Gangs have also been known to use Paraguay as a way station to transport cocaine into Brazil from elsewhere in South America.  

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