Reports: 1.5kgs of drugs found hidden inside World Cup trophy replicas
In a stunning story coming out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, local cops reportedly conducted a successful drug bust and discovered 1.5kgs of drugs including cocaine and marijuana, hidden within fake World Cup trophies.
A drug-smuggling gang were allegedly trying to make the most of the 2018 FIFA World Cup fever by attempting to utilise the sudden surge in merchandising to smuggle their drugs within Argentina.
While the trophies were mostly used to smuggle cocaine, several brown packages containing marijuana were also found during the raids.
Successful raids in the region of Isidro Casanova in La Matanza Partido, Greater Buenos Aires, yielded not just these drugs, but also guns, vehicles, and money.
6 suspects have reportedly been arrested during these stunning raids, as detectives discovered a number of World Cup trophy replicas used to smuggle the drugs. The base of these trophies had been painted in Argentina's blue and white colours in a bid to inconspicuously tap into the World Cup fever.
Videos of the raid have gone viral on the internet and show cops breaking into this trophies, only to see cocaine pour out of them.
According to reports from The Sun, Buenos Aires' security minister, Cristian Ritondo, responded to this story by saying:
“The drug convictions must be strictly complied with, they do not go out of business, those who are imprisoned have to be imprisoned and serve their sentence. It is important that they be imprisoned, that they not return to the business.”
Here is some footage of the incident:
Meanwhile, in Russia, Argentina are set to take on Nigeria tonight in a crucial do-or-die game that could either see them qualify for the round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup, or crash out and return home to Argentina.
While all eyes are bound to be on Lionel Messi and co, Argentinian authorities will certainly celebrate this successful bust in their eternal war against narcotics.