Swallowing a large number of drugs doesn't seem like the smartest idea, but that hasn't stopped people from attempting to smuggle contraband by ingesting illegal substances.
CNN reports that a 42-year-old Japanese man, identified as Udo N, was traveling from Bogota, Colombia to Narita airport in Tokyo, with a connection in Mexico City. While onboard the AeroMexico aircraft, along with 198 other passengers, Udo appeared to be having a convulsive attack, prompting airplane personnel to request that they make an emergency stop in Sonora, Mexico.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office for Sonora said, "Crew noticed a person suffering convulsions and requested to make an emergency landing in Hermosillo, Sonora." Paramedics who boarded the plane declared him deceased shortly after their arrival.
An autopsy indicates the cause of Udo's death to be swelling of the brain, caused by the overdose. A staggering 246 bags, sized at 1cm by 2.5cm each, were extracted from his stomach and intestines.
Aside from exporting products on ships, smugglers often turn to drug mules, a tactic which calls for individuals to ingest the substances wrapped in plastic. Drug mules are very high risk; should the packaging explode, the likelihood of death and/or overdosing exponentially increases.
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