Smuggler bust by 'labour pains'

2006-10-15 19:49

Cairo - An Egyptian woman pretending to suffer from labour pains gave such a poor performance at customs that a quick hand-search revealed her "bundle of joy" to be 48 cellphones, an airport source said.

The young woman, whose identity was not released, began to complain of labour pains after arriving at Cairo airport from Dubai, hoping to speed her way through customs.

A customs officer checked her passport and was surprised by the number of stamps it held, showing too much recent travel for a woman "in her condition", the source said.

He then asked a female colleague to frisk her. The search exposed what was really under the woman's clothing - 48 mobile phones worth more than $17 000. The "mother" was arrested.

- AFP