Cocaine shipment worth $227,000 found hidden within 12 Diego Maradona paintings that drug trafficker tried to smuggle into Turkey
Customs agents at Istanbul Airport scored a huge goal Wednesday against a drug trafficking network when officers discovered cocaine concealed inside portraits of the late Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona.
The cocaine shipment - 2.65 kilos worth $227,000 - was being smuggled by a 72-year-old German man who had arrived on a flight from Colombia.
The suspect, whose name has not been released by Turkish authorities, drew the attention of the agents when the x-ray machine detected his suspicious luggage.
A sniffer dog subsequently then alerted the customs officials, who removed his belongings for a secondary inspection.
Customs agents at Turkey's Istanbul Airport seized 2.65 kilos of cocaine from 12 paintings of late soccer legend Diego Maradona in the luggage of a 72-year-old German man who arrived on a flight from Colombia on Wednesday. The suspect, whose name was not released by authorities, remains in custody
A customs agent at Istanbul Airport uses a tool to break a portrait of Diego Maradona holding the 1986 World Cup and removed cocaine that was hidden inside
Video recorded by the customs agents shows officers using a tool to pry the 12 paintings open and remove the cocaine, which was flattened and wrapped in foil paper.
One of the caricature paintings showed Maradona hoisting the 1986 World Cup and another one shows him holding the cup while he is being carried off the pitch by his Argentine teammates.
Another painting depicts the late soccer icon standing alongside fellow Argentine star Lionel Messi.
Diego Maradona (pictured above on March 24, 2010 coaching Argentina's national team in Buenos Aires) suffered a heart attack and died aged 60 on November 25
Customs agents at Istanbul Airport in Turkey discovered 2.65 kilos of cocaine (pictured above covered in foil paper) from a 72-year-old German man who arrived on a flight from Colombia on Wednesday. The suspect, whose name was not released by authorities, remains in custody
Maradona suffered a heart attack and died in November 25 at the age of 60.
An autopsy released Wednesday revealed that the former Boca Juniors and Napoli star did not consume alcohol or illegal drug in the days before his death.
The autopsy, which was based on blood and urine samples and released by the Buenos Aires Scientific Police, said Maradona had problems with his kidneys, heart and lungs.
An Istanbul Airport customs agent removes cocaine from one of the Diego Maradona portraits that were being smuggled by a 72-year-old German man who arrived on a flight from Colombia on Wednesday
One of the 12 portraits that contained the hidden cocaine featured a caricature painting of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona
It also showed he had consumed a cocktail of prescription drugs including Quetiapine, Venlafaxine and Levetiracetam. He had also taken Ranitidine, which is used for indigestion and heartburn.
Investigators are looking into various facets of his death that rocked Argentina and the wider footballing world and have not ruled out wrongful death.
The more detailed autopsy confirmed the results of one carried out immediately after his death that said Maradona died from 'acute pulmonary edema secondary to exacerbated chronic heart failure with dilated cardiomyopathy.'
Earlier this month, Argentine authorities found hundreds of autographed pieces of memorabilia from the career of Maradona inside a long-forgotten container at a warehouse outside Buenos Aires.
The items include jerseys signed by Sergio Agüero, Ronaldo Nazario, Harry Kane and Hristo Stoichkov, which most likely will provide a treasure trove for collectors and lead to a new battle over his estate.
The massive collection also included balls from Barcelona, Napoli and Boca Juniors and a plaque given to Maradona by soccer's governing body FIFA.
There are also shirts worn by the Argentine icon himself, as well as political mementos received as gifts from the Latin America leftist leaders he so admired.