A New York State man faces several drug charges after police found more than 1,400 bags of heroin hidden inside his body.
Police in Vermont made the find after stopping Fernando Estrella, 41, in his minivan at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a news release.
Cops pulled him over for motor vehicle violations, but during the stop a drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to Estrella's car seat.
No drugs were found in the van, so Estrella was detained and a search warrant executed. He was later taken to a local hospital where about 1,428 bags worth of heroin were found inside his rectum.
The amount was inside three condoms, police told The New York Daily News.
Fernando Estrella. (Photo: Vermont State Police)
The Bronx man was also charged with violating release conditions from a November 2015 cocaine arrest, which prohibited him from possessing regulated drugs, according to police.
This isn't the only heroin arrest that has recently raised eyebrows.
A Massachusetts man faces drug trafficking charges after surgeons removed 27 bags of heroin from his stomach, intestines and rectum last week.
Miguel Rodriguez, 51, was allegedly trying to smuggle the substance into the U.S., police told Salem News.
He had overdosed after one of the bags burst.
Overdoses from heroin and other opioid drugs are still considered to be the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., according to CNN.
The Obama administration announced new plans Tuesday to combat the widespread abuse of prescription drugs and heroin. Last month, US$1.1 billion was pledged in funding to fight the epidemic.
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