The Golden Bum: Sri Lankan Officials Arrest Man Smuggling Gold in Rectum

A 45-year-old man was arrested Sunday at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, after customs authorities discovered he was smuggling nearly one kilogram of gold in his rectum.

How did officials finger the India-bound traveler? They were tipped off when the man began to act "suspiciously" at the airport's departure lounge, Sunil Jayaratne, a spokesperson said Sunday.

"He was called for a thorough screening after customs officers noticed him walking with difficulty and appearing to be in pain," Jayaratne told AFP.

After a close examination, officials found the contraband, wrapped in black plastic sheets, the spokesperson revealed. In total, the haul, consisting of 904 grams of gold, was valued at roughly $30,000.

"Among [the contraband] there were four yellow biscuits, three pieces of yellow gold, six yellow gold jewelry articles and two silver plated yellow gold jewelry articles," a customs officer told BBC Sinhala.

Though the man, described as a courier for an organized smuggling ring, was arrested, he was released after paying a $660 fine, the Khaleej Times reported.

According to the Times, Sri Lanka's customs personnel have reported 44 similar incidents in 2017. A week ago, a Sri Lankan woman who was also travelling to India was caught trying to smuggle 314.5 grams of gold in the same fashion.

Per AFP, the smuggling of gold is either part of money-laundering schemes or transferring funds from drug sales.