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Border agency reveals ploys used by drug smugglers, including a portrait of former Arsenal footballer
Drug smugglers tried to bring cannabis worth almost £3,000 into the UK hidden in a painting of the footballer Emmanuel Adebayor, the UK Border Agency said today.
The wooden-framed picture was seized as it passed through a postal depot in Coventry from the footballer's native Togo.
The painting of the former Arsenal star now at Manchester City was addressed to a home in Tottenham, the team's north London rival.
Details of the ploy and several others were revealed by the agency to highlight the methods used by drug traffickers.
Officials intercepted drugs hidden in bottles of Baileys liqueur, woven baskets, packets of peanuts and yams that had been opened and glued back together.
They also found glass ornaments in which air pockets had been stuffed with cocaine and a birthday card bound for Belfast holding cocaine worth £40,000.
Brodie Clark, the head of Border Force, said the drugs were found last year during searches at ports, airports and postal sorting depots.
"These smuggling attempts show the lengths that organised criminals will go to in a bid to get drugs into the UK," he said.
"Criminals are prepared to invest large sums of money to come up with ever better concealment methods because they know the potential profits from the awful trade in harmful drugs are considerable.
"However, the smugglers are no match for the skill of our officers and the state-of-the-art technology at their disposal."
Border staff use a range of methods and specialist equipment to detect drugs. Sniffer dogs are trained to identify drugs and cash while x-ray machines can reveal unusual luggage or parcels. Body-scanners can detect whether "mules" have swallowed or are carrying packets of drugs.
Officials act on tip-offs from the public, criminal informants and law enforcement agencies around the world.
"Our most important weapon in the fight against drug smuggling is intelligence," Clark said.
"I would urge anyone with information that might be useful to the UK Border Agency to phone our hotline on 0800 59 5000."
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