Body Packing

 

The person involved may be either male or female and of any age, although young infants are unlikely to be profitable.

 

Drugs:

(1) heroin

(2) cocaine

(3) hashish

(4) other

 

Methods used:

(1) packets swallowed and passed per rectum

(2) intra-rectal suppository

(3) intra-vaginal suppository

 

Motivation for being a transporter (courier or "mule") depends on whether the person is self-employed or working for others:

(1) money

(2) drugs

(3) love

(4) family member held hostage

 

Chemical complications:

(1) drug intoxication from packet leakage

(2) overdose from packet rupture

 

The risk of drug leakage and packet rupture depends on the professionalism of the traffickers. Modern professionals use modern pharmaceutical packaging to make durable and hard-to-detect units. Amateurs may use condoms or other containers prone to failure.

 

Signs of heroin intoxication:

(1) sedation

(2) miosis

(3) respiratory depression, with collapse

 

Signs of cocaine intoxication:

(1) anxiety

(2) dilated pupils

(3) diaphoresis

(4) tachycardia

(5) hypertension

(6) hyperthermia

(7) seizures

(8) cardiovascular collapse

 

Physical complications:

(1) bowel obstruction

(2) gastrointestinal hemorrhage

(3) bowel perforation

(4) bowel ischemia

(5) violence from the traffickers

 

Emotional complications:

(1) stress-related, especially when under scrutiny: sweating, nervousness, trembling

(2) fear of packet rupture

 

A person may be suspected of body packing based on:

(1) tip or intelligence based

(2) past history

(3) suspicious or nervous behavior

(4) forged passport or other illegal contraband

(5) signs of intoxication or collapse

(6) person turning themself in

 

Physical examination can detect packets placed in body cavities, but it is insensitive to gastrointestinal transit packets unless they are large.

 

Urine drug tests can be very helpful if the person is symptomatic, although may be misleading if the person has been abusing other drugs.

 

Imaging studies may be helpful, but have a number of economic and logistic constraints:

(1) Plain X-rays can miss packets that are designed to be radiolucent

(2) Ultrasonography is the most portable method and may become the method of choice.

(3) CT or contrast-enhanced bowel radiography can help document (a) the a site of obstruction, (b) that the GI tract is free of packets