Cannabis smugglers used an ambulance and faked a medical emergency to smuggle 40kg of the drug past a security checkpoint.
Cops at Kondagaon in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh said the four men posed as paramedics, a patient and a driver in an attempt to avoid scrutiny from officers.
Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Kapil Chandra told Indian media: “During the check, we found two attendants, a driver and a fake patient inside the ambulance.
“The whole step in the ambulance was done to pretend that it is a case of an emergency. Based on suspicion, we carried out a raid and found 40 kg of cannabis hidden inside the vehicle.”
He added: “It was a difficult task, first it was a national highway and second it was an ambulance.
“In case of high emergency, we have to allow the ambulance to move but we try our best to investigate all suspected vehicles.”
An investigation into the operation has been launched and the men were arrested.
Last month Coin Rivet reported on another innovative attempt at drug smuggling that went awry involving an Australian man who tried to get cannabis into prison inside a balloon up his nose and was stunned when doctors retrieved the illicit package – 18 years later.
The unnamed 48-year-old patient’s girlfriend gave him the drug-filled balloon during a prison visit and the man stuffed it into his right nostril to hide it.
He believed he had swallowed the package when he was unable to retrieve it, according to a paper published in the British Medical Journal.
The patient suffered regular sinus infections and breathing problems but only sought medical attention when he started getting severe headaches. It has since been removed.
