Women swallowed cash in bid to smuggle it through airport

Two Ecuadoran women have been arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport after trying to smuggle out 400,000 euros in cash - including by swallowing some of the money, Dutch border police say.

The two women, aged 38 and 39 were detained last weekend after arriving on a flight from Madrid, Dutch Gendarmerie spokesman Alfred Ellwanger said. Suspicions were raised when customs officials found 8000 euros in 500-euro bills in their hand luggage, prompting a body search.

"I don't want to go into details, but you can easily imagine which bodily orifices you can use to hide something," Mr Ellwanger said. Further investigation revealed the women also swallowed some money, rolled up to form a number of 4.5cm-long cellophane-wrapped cylinders.

The spokesman said it took several days to retrieve the cylinders. "It works on the same principle as when people swallow drug packages in order to pass through customs, but it's not often you see this system being used to smuggle money," Mr Ellwanger said. The women remain in custody as an investigation continues, he added.