Colombia’s newest smuggler: An 11 year-old girl.
Prison officials in a Colombian jail caught the youngster trying to sneak 74 cell phones and a gun through security on Sunday.
The girl was on her way to visit a relative at the Bellavista prison in Medellin, Colombia with her 25-year-old sister. The pair had already made it past one security control, but the young smuggler was caught trying to slip past the second checkpoint, where visitors are searched.
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She was stopped after guards noticed suspicious looking shapes beneath her clothing. Upon further inspection they found that the girl was carrying 72 cell phones and 2 BlackBerries, all tucked into her sweater. She also had a 0.38-calibre revolver taped to her back. She was visiting her brother who was, ironically, in jail for illegal gun possession.
The sisters are currently being held while further investigations take place.
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A prison official told the El Colombiano newspaper that children are often used to smuggle prohibited items into jails, and women frequently attempt to sneak drugs, guns, phones and even knives through security by strapping them close to their bodies.
This is the latest in a line of Colombian prison snafus. Most recently, a former senator, Alvaro Araujo Castro, held a wild birthday party in La Picota jail in Bogota while awaiting trial for alleged links with a paramilitary group. To prepare for the party he had his cell remodeled, breaking down a wall to double its space. Following this embarrassing episode the director of the prison, Himelda Lopez, was swiftly transferred elsewhere. (via BBC News)