Drug Traffickers Catch World Cup Fever

Posted on Jul 4, 2010

Flickr / anselmoportes

The real deal: The genuine World Cup trophy contains 11 pounds of 18-carat gold with a base containing two layers of malachite. Winners receive a gold-plated replica.

Whatever your take is on drugs, you have to give traffickers some credit for their innovation: A fake World Cup trophy has been seized by police in Colombia after the 14-inch, 24-pound replica was discovered by investigators and found to be made entirely of cocaine. —JCL

The BBC:

A replica World Cup trophy seized by anti-drugs police in Colombia is made out of cocaine, lab tests have confirmed.

The 36cm (14in) statue was found in a delivery crate at Bogota airport.

The crate was in an airmail warehouse waiting to be sent to an address in Spain, airport anti-drug chief Jose Piedrahita said.

In another development, a submarine built by drug-traffickers was found in Ecuador before its maiden voyage.

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