This is the surreal moment police arrest a cigarette smuggler disguised as a water hyacinth while trying to cross a river from Paraguay to Argentina.
Gendarmes dressed in military uniform illuminated with their torches the “floating plant” that was approaching their ship under the cover of darkness.
Their suspicions about the true nature of the unexpected object in front of them proved correct when close inspection revealed what lay beneath the clever camouflage.
An officer ended up taking the human being hidden underneath on board before handcuffing him.
They then discovered he had been shoving 200 packets of ‘Rodeo King Size’ cigarettes into four black boxes under flexible wire mesh covered with a mix of artificial leaves and plants and tied to his body.
The still anonymous smuggler was seen floating down the river between Paraguay and Argentina.
An agent ended up taking the human being hidden underneath on board before handcuffing him
Gendarmes dressed in military uniform illuminated with their torches the “floating plant” that was approaching their ship under the cover of darkness.
The anonymous tobacco smuggler, dubbed Aquaman by social media users after the half-human American comic book superhero, is expected to appear before a judge in the northern Argentine city of Resistencia later today.
Police discovered he had been stuffing 200 packets of ‘Rodeo King Size’ cigarettes into four black boxes.
The strange incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning, local time, near Cerrito Island in the Argentine Littoral region.
The 42-year-old smuggler was examined to ensure he was not suffering from hypothermia or any other health problems before being taken to a police station for questioning before appearing in court.
It is believed that the wetsuit he was wearing kept his body temperature higher than normal.
The strange incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning, local time, near Cerrito Island in the Argentine Littoral region, where the Paraguay and Paraná rivers meet.
According to reports, the detainee was trying to reach the postcard island from Paraguay when he was intercepted by agents from the Argentine Naval Prefecture.
A source told local press: “No one had ever seen a plant like that floating so fast above the waterline and it made them look closer.”
The anonymous tobacco smuggler, nicknamed Aquaman after the half-human American comic book superhero by social media users, is expected to appear before a judge today in the northern Argentine city of Resistencia.