A woman arriving from Belgium was arrested at an airport in the Dominican Republic with 55,500 euros hidden in her stomach and 54,602 in her luggage, anti-drugs police said Sunday.
The 40-year-old, a Spanish national of Dominican origin, was snared at the international airport in Punta Cana after flying in from Brussels, the National Drug Control Office (DNCD) said.
Intelligence services were warned about the woman’s arrival and the cash in her stomach — contained in 16 capsules — was confirmed by X-ray.
The total sum of euros is the equivalent of about $140,000; travellers are allowed to bring in a maximum of $10,000 without reporting it.
According to the National Drug Control Agency spokesman Dario Medrano, the cash the woman was trying to smuggle into the small nation, is likely linked to drug trafficking.
Dominican authorities say this is the first time they have arrested someone who was smuggling money in the stomach. What is more common is people hiding drugs in their stomachs.