Passenger hides cocaine under his wig in failed bid to smuggle drugs

An airline passenger hid half a kilo of cocaine under his "oversized" toupee in a failed bid to smuggle the drug into Spain.

The man gave himself away as he tried to pass through border control at Barcelona's El Prat airport following an 11-hour flight from Bogota, Colombia.

Border guards noticed his hairpiece looked odd and they pulled him in for questioning to find out if he was hiding anything under the wig.

He had also attracted attention because he looked nervous following the transatlantic flight.


The man's toupee was removed during a search, and officers found a package stuck to his head.


Police say the package contained £27,000 worth of cocaine.

Photos released by police show the man's disproportionately large hairpiece - which had been under a hat - and a package stuck to his head.

The middle-aged man's eyes are blocked out in the images.


The man was detained and charged.