Police in the northern Colombian town of Barranquilla discovered 24 pounds of marijuana hidden in a picture of famous Argentine footballer Lionel Messi on Tuesday.
The illegal drugs were discovered when a bus was stopped at a police checkpoint at the entrance of the town. Police were surprised to find the neatly wrapped packages hidden in a Messi poster frame, which was nearly three inches thick and 40 inches tall.
The 30-year-old man carrying the poster had paid his ticket in full to the center of Barranquilla where he was going to sell the drugs.
Police said that it seemed the man had been transporting weed from one town to another in the area in this ingenious manner for some time.
“No one imagined that there would be a stash of drugs hidden behind Messi’s image,” one of the policemen reportedly said.
A surprised passenger reportedly quipped, “so that is the reason that Messi flies when he plays!”