• The passenger underwent a radiological test where the capsules were discovered after suspicions were raised during a routine check.

March 14, 2025.- On March 4, the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard arrested a passenger, a 44-year-old Moroccan citizen, at Josep Tarradellas-Barcelona El Prat Airport as the alleged perpetrator of a crime against public health due to drug trafficking. The woman was carrying a total of 187 cylinders of hashish in her body, weighing a total of 2,011 grams, which posed a serious risk to her life.

Tax Agency officers on duty at Customs in Terminal 2 of the airport, along with agents from the Fiscal and Border Analysis and Investigation Unit (UDAIFF) of the Civil Guard, identified the passenger on a flight from Fez, Morocco, during a routine check. The woman displayed nervous and unusual behavior, with incoherent responses to the officers' questions, raising suspicions about a possible attempt to smuggle illegal substances into the country.

Given these circumstances, the passenger was asked to be transferred to Terminal 1 where the attending physician would perform an X-ray to determine if she had any foreign bodies in her body. The woman voluntarily agreed, and the test results confirmed the presence of a large quantity of capsules in her digestive tract. This led to her immediate arrest as a suspected perpetrator of a crime against public health for drug trafficking and her urgent transfer to Bellvitge University Hospital (Barcelona), where the medical protocol for the extraction of the drug cylinders was activated. In total, it contained 187 cylinders of hashish weighing two kilos.

People who carry drugs in this way are known as 'boleros' or 'muleros'. These individuals ingest small capsules wrapped in resistant materials to prevent them from dissolving in the stomach, and assume the risk involved in order to move them through customs controls undetected. However, pressure, prolonged periods of time without expelling them, or sudden movements can cause the wrappers to rupture, releasing the substance into the body and causing serious poisoning that can be fatal.

The El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) Court of First Instance is hearing the case on duty.