Body Packing and Its Radiologic Manifestations: A Review Article

Abstract

Body packing is described as using the abdominal or pelvic cavity for concealing illegal drugs. Leakage from the packets may cause catastrophic effects on smugglers and medical history is not reliable in these patients. Moreover, new sophisticated smuggling techniques make it imperative that radiologists and emergency physicians understand and familiarize themselves with the different radiological manifestations of ingested drug packets. Currently, there is no gold standard for imaging patients suspected of body packing; nevertheless, computed tomography (CT) seems to be the best modality for packet detection and unenhanced CT without bowel preparation is a reliable technique for detection of ingested packets. On abdominal radiography, packets may be visualized as oval or round radiopaque foreign bodies surrounded by a gas halo. In the literature, sensitivity of abdominal radiography is reported from 74% to 100%. Visualization of the drug packets may be strikingly hampered by administration of oral or intravenous contrast medium in abdomino-pelvic CT; hence, contrast-enhanced CT does not seem to be a suitable modality for searching the ingested packets in suspicious smugglers.

Two Case of Body Packing of Gold in Sri Lanka

“…Body packing is a recognized mean of smuggling drugs worldwide [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. First reported case of body packing of drugs in medical literature was reported in 1973, a case of swallowing Hashish packed in condoms [2].…”

“…There are three type of body packing. First, the "swallowers" who intentionally swallow large amount of transporting material before cross the international boundaries [3]. Second type, the "pushers" use their rectum or the vagina to transport smuggling material [4,5].…”

“…Second type, the "pushers" use their rectum or the vagina to transport smuggling material [4,5]. Third type, the "stuffers" swallow small amounts of transporting material because of fear of arrest at the time of crossing the boundaries [3]. The swallowers frequently use anti-motility agents, such as diphenoxylate or loperamide to increase intestinal transient time, after swallowing the transporting material.…”

“…The swallowers frequently use anti-motility agents, such as diphenoxylate or loperamide to increase intestinal transient time, after swallowing the transporting material. After entering the country of destination, body packers use laxatives, cathartics, or enemas to help passage of their cargo rectally [3,6]. On the other hand the pushers use laxatives or enemas to empty the rectum before pack the transporting media in the rectum.…”

“…On the other hand the pushers use laxatives or enemas to empty the rectum before pack the transporting media in the rectum. The smugglers frequently pack the material in capsule shape packs [1,3,6,11,12]. The packets are made out of various materials, the most common is latex condoms which are easily available and can be swallowed or inserted into the rectum or the vagina easily.…”