Police in southwest China reported yesterday that they have busted 37 members of a drug-smuggling gang over the last several months, including four Myanmar nationals who were caught with 183 packets of marijuana in their stomachs.
The four smugglers were busted in Yinbin City, Sichuan Province, in May. Police reported that they behaved suspiciously during a routine check, which led authorities to conduct a medical examination on them.
X-rays of their stomachs revealed several thumb-sized shadows in their stomachs. The smugglers eventually excreted 183 plastic-wrapped packets of marijuana, weighing a total of 916 grams.
The packets also contained some heroin, methamphetamine, and yaba (a stimulant composed of methamphetamine and caffeine), Xinhua reported.
A police investigation revealed that the four men had been asked to smuggle the drugs from Myanmar to Chongqing and were promised US$40 for each packet they transported successfully.
Other members of the gang were caught in Chongqing and Yunnan over the past several months, police said. Two others were also of Myanmar origin.
The busts have resulted in the seizure of more than 440 grams of methamphetamine, 26 grams of yaba, over one kilo of heroin, and eight guns, according to the police announcement.
