A control operation carried out by the National Gendarmerie allowed for the detection and arrest of four Bolivians who were transporting drugs inside their bodies while traveling on a bus along National Route 9, in Tucumán.
The procedure took place at kilometer 1,358, when the officers inspected a bus that had departed from the province of Jujuy.
During the routine check, the gendarmes noticed unusual behavior in three women and one man, all of Bolivian nationality.
The detained Bolivians.
According to the authorities, the passengers exhibited marked nervousness, and inconsistencies were detected in the documentation they presented, which raised alarms among the intervening personnel.
Suspecting a possible crime related to drug transportation, the officers activated the corresponding protocol and proceeded to transfer the individuals to a health center in the city of Tucumán. There, they underwent radiographic studies that confirmed the presence of foreign bodies in their systems.
The medical images revealed that the four passengers had ingested capsules containing drugs, a method known as “mules,” which involves transporting illegal substances inside the body.
The drug capsules.
This method, in addition to being used to evade controls, poses a high risk to the health of those who engage in it, due to the possibility of capsule rupture inside the body.
The individuals remained under medical observation at the hospital until the process of evacuating the ingested capsules was completed. As a result of the procedure, the authorities managed to seize a total of 376 capsules containing cocaine, with a total weight of 4 kilograms 097 grams.
The case was handled by the Federal Court No. 3 of Tucumán, which ordered the seizure of the drugs and other items considered of interest for the investigation. Additionally, the detention of the four Bolivians was ordered.
The procedure is part of the controls that security forces routinely carry out on national routes, especially on corridors used for drug transportation from the north of the country.
