From gold in rectum to live tiger cub: the most bizarre items smuggled through airport security

A few days ago, Indian news reported that a woman in Thiruvananthapuram (South India) was caught trying to smuggle almost one kilogram of gold from her… umm, rectum. This strange news got me thinking about other weird things people try to bring past airport security. People will do pretty crazy things (and put them where?) to get their forbidden goods through security checks. Check out this list of the most bizarre and ingenious smuggling techniques discovered at airports.

Golden Showers

The incident in Thiruvananthapuram is not the first of its kind. Air hostess Surabhi Khatun, 26, was caught trying to smuggle 960 grams of gold (in powder form) from, you guessed it, her rectum. She was arrested with her senior colleague, Sohail, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the smuggling. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has widened its investigation as it considers other crew members were also involved. This situation proves that smugglers will go to great lengths and extreme heights (Sohail, we’re looking at you) for their illegal activities.

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A Tiger in the Toy Pouch

Perhaps the most frightening of all smuggling incidents involves a two-month-old tiger cub. In 2010, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, security personnel inspected a bag full of stuffed toys when they felt one of the teddy bears warm. Much to their shock, they found a tiger cub, drugged alive, in between all the innocent plush toys. The woman accompanying the bag said she was unaware of the tiger cub and was supposed to smuggle it to Iran. This crazy catch shows that people will go to great lengths to smuggle exotic animals.

Turtle Burger

Another weird attempt to smuggle a pet through a security checkpoint was made by a man in China who disguised his turtle as a hamburger. Mr. Li wrapped his beloved pet in a take-out container wrapper. He tried to bring it through Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport as if it was a snack. His attempt was unsuccessful as security personnel, suspicious of the weird burger, unwrapped the container and found the turtle inside. Li’s ridiculous effort to fool airport security entertained them for a while.

Fish inside a Skirt

In 2005, a woman was detained at an Australian airport after landing in Singapore for carrying 15 plastic bags of live tropical fish. She wore a custom-made apron containing the fish bags underneath her skirt. The clever idea failed when customs agents heard continuous flipping sounds from the woman’s waist area. Transporting live animals is a serious business, but this attempt showed creativity and recklessness.

Meth Burrito

Drug smuggling tends to spark the most creative attempts of concealment. In May 2016, a woman attempted to bring a pound of methamphetamine in the form of a burrito through Tucson International Airport. Drug-sniffing dogs quickly caught the scent of the suspicious burrito (which was missing all the delicious burrito toppings) and discovered the meth inside. This smuggling attempt is as hilarious as it is disappointing. We must remain vigilant at all times.

Reptiles on a Plane

In 2009, a Norwegian man took the phrase “snakes on a plane” to the next level. The man was detained for smuggling 14 live royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos from Denmark to Norway. The reptiles were placed under the man’s clothing and were held in place by socks and cans. Customs officers became suspicious of the unusual movement on the man’s body after discovering a tarantula in his luggage. This was an inventive and highly uncomfortable way to smuggle live animals.

Tadpoles in the Mouth

A South Korean woman at Guangzhou Airport attempted to smuggle dozens of tadpoles in her mouth, making this one of the most unusual smuggling methods. The woman was asked to drink or discard her water bottle during a routine security check. She sipped the water but did not swallow, which prompted security to become suspicious. She was asked to spit out the liquid, and dozens of tadpoles poured out, much to the shock of the airport personnel. This was not only strange but also highly unhygienic.

A Primate in the Pants

New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport staff detained a man trying to smuggle a small nocturnal primate, a slender loris, between his underpants and thigh. The man was flying from Bangkok to Dubai, and the animal, often kept as an exotic pet, was probably the reason for his suspicious behaviour during the security check. This is another example of how far people will go transporting rare animals.

Transporting the Deceased

In one of the most bizarre cases of human smuggling, a widow and her stepdaughter attempted to transport a dead elderly man from Liverpool to Berlin by pretending that he was just a sleeping passenger. Despite the women’s insistence that the old man was resting his eyes, airport staff knew otherwise. The women attempted the scheme to avoid the costs of transporting the body. However, their plan did not succeed, as they were both arrested. This disturbing incident showed how people will go to great lengths to avoid incurring extra costs.

A Shaving Cream Surprise

In October 2015, at Omaha International Airport, agents discovered a multitool hidden inside a can of shaving cream. The traveler had bought the can at a store and removed the contents. Then he hollowed out the plastic can and hid the tool inside before attempting to fly. The empty can, which looked entirely normal, was detected by a liquid scan. Pretty clever; if you try to smuggle something through, you may make it something you use every day. Like shaving. Who doesn’t like a fresh, smooth face?

Potato Head

In 2007, Australian customs agents found over 10 ounces of ecstasy hidden inside a Mr. Potato Head doll. The toy came from Ireland, and officers discovered the drugs when they noticed the back panel of the toy looked abnormal. This example shows the extent to which people will go to smuggle drugs.

Whether it’s live animals, drugs, weapons or even food, the things people try to smuggle through airport security are endless. Airport security may learn from past mistakes, but as long as there are cunning smugglers, there will always be unforeseen obstacles to come.

Did you enjoy the read? Have you ever witnessed or heard of any unusual smuggling attempts at airports? Share your stories in the comments below!