Man held in Spain over attempt to smuggle cocaine under his wig

Police at Barcelona airport have arrested a Colombian man suspected of trying to smuggle half a kilo of cocaine into Spain concealed under his wig.

Officers noted that the passenger, who had arrived on a flight from Bogotá, seemed extremely nervous. However, what most attracted their attention was the size, and in particular, the height of his wig.

When they asked him to remove his wig the officers found a packet containing 503g of cocaine glued to his head. They then arrested him.

Spain is one of the main European points of entry for Colombian cocaine and hauls from drug busts often run into tonnes. However, passengers acting as mules are frequently caught trying to smuggle relatively small quantities of the drug through airport immigration.

On one occasion, when officers in Barcelona discovered a package of drugs strapped to a Colombian man’s abdomen, he confessed that he had also swallowed 35 condoms filled with the drug.

Related: Money laundering? Man finds cocaine in washing powder box in Brazil shop

This is not the first time smugglers have used wigs. Four years ago, a woman was arrested at Madrid airport with 900g of cocaine sewn into her wig and later at the same airport a woman was discovered with 1.7kg of the drug concealed in breast implants.

According to European Union studies, Spain is the EU’s sixth biggest consumer of cocaine. The UK tops the list, followed by the Netherlands, Denmark, France and Ireland.

Spain is also the fourth largest consumer of cannabis, after France, Italy and the Czech Republic.