Doctors find rolls of cash inside suspected drug mule in Colombia

A Colombian man had to undergo surgery after swallowing more than three dozen rolls of cash.

The 67-year-old, who was not named, was taken to doctors and said he had been suffering from vomiting and extreme constipation for more than a month.

He also revealed to medics in Bogota, the capital, that he had taken 30 latex-coated capsules filled with cash – only 20 of which had been expelled.

Doctors removed the packages by making a small incision in his stomach and he was discharged 18 hours later with no long-term ill effects. It was reported that the money had become compact masses of paper.

The above shows the rolls of money in the 67-year-old’s stomach. They have been surgically removed

It was not clear why the man had swallowed the money, but he may have been a drug runner – and responsible for getting the illicit money across the border

The man did not reveal why he took the money, although it was possible he was a drug runner.

These are individuals who transport illegal drugs or cash across borders by hiding them in clothing or vehicles, or by ingesting them.

Entire regions of Colombia are also believed to be dependent on the drug trade, with the country being the world’s largest producer of cocaine – responsible for more than 90 percent of the US supply.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment by Colombia’s National Police after complaining of persistent symptoms.

Upon arrival, doctors diagnosed him with pyloric stenosis — typically seen in infants — in which the valve connecting the stomach and small intestine tightens, restricting the passage of food.

An examination using an endoscopy – sticking a camera down the throat – revealed the wedges in the stomach.

Doctors said the objects could not be extracted by pulling them out through the throat because they were now just compact masses of paper.

They chose to perform laparoscopic surgery to remove the objects.

In this surgery, doctors make a small incision near the affected area and then remove tissues, organs, or foreign objects — in this case, money rolls.

The operation was a success and the patient was discharged 18 hours later.

It was not clear what happened to the money after that, but the hospital reported that it was unusable.

It comes after doctors in India had to perform surgery to remove a plastic bottle from a man’s stomach.

The 55-year-old from Madhya Pradesh province in central India had swallowed the bottle whole.

The man came to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain and doctors surgically removed the bottle.

The incident took place on May 16 in the state’s Chhatarpur district and it is not clear how the bottle ended up in his stomach.