Smugglers Tried To Hide $44 Million Worth Of Cocaine In This Fried Food
Smugglers have to come up with creative solutions when they try to move drugs. According to American Addictions Centers, authorities have found that drug runners have tried to hide contraband in lollipops, tiny backpacks attached to pigeons, and even inside snakes. Food & Wine reported that food often gets used to cover drug smuggling, and criminals have used breakfast burritos, frosted corn flakes, and coffee powder to cover up illicit substances from authorities. The latest food-based smuggling operation now puts all other efforts to shame, as English police discovered 418 kilograms of cocaine mixed into packages of onion rings.
Authorities stopped a 30-year-old Polish truck driver as he drove a truck into the U.K. from France when the police found the massive stash of drugs that had an approximate street value of $44 million. "This was a really significant amount of drugs taken out of circulation," Branch Commander Mark Howes said (via National Crime Agency). "The seizure will deprive the organized crime group responsible for them of profit, which would have fuelled more offending. Working with our partners such as Border Force we will continue to fight the Class A drugs threat in our mission to protect the public."
A ton of onion rings and cocaine
The authorities posted the score on their Twitter account, showing off a cardboard box lined with drugs, presumably covered up by packages of frozen onion rings. While the caption to the post laid out the story, followers had more pressing concerns, like, "Serious question what happens to the onion rings," and "Think I'd rather have the onion rings." The driver who allegedly moved the contraband into the U.K. has since appeared at Folkeston Magistrates' Court and has been ordered to make an appearance at Canterbury Crown Court on December 13, per the National Crime Agency.
Smugglers have found some very creative ways to move illegal items across borders, but now they can confidently cross onion rings off the list of what works. Only time can tell what punishment the driver might face, and the word's still out on the fate of the many onion rings used to cover up the cocaine.