MWE Correspondent
A chilling new drug smuggling tactic has come to light in Tanzania, where traffickers are now using human corpses to conceal narcotics, authorities revealed this week.
In a press briefing held on July 9, 2025, at the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) headquarters in Kivukoni, Commissioner General Aretas Lyimo disclosed that smugglers are hollowing out dead bodies—removing brains, lungs, intestines, and even livers—and replacing them with illegal drugs.
“We have seized several bodies used in this horrific practice,” said Lyimo. “Traffickers dissect the body, remove the internal organs, and use the abdominal and thoracic cavities to stash narcotics.”
This gruesome smuggling method, he noted, is hard to detect without close inspection or imaging equipment. The criminals are targeting bodies being repatriated from abroad—knowing that most coffins pass through customs with little scrutiny out of respect for the dead.
Officials say the traffickers refer to the bodies as “bags” in underworld slang. The drugs—often heroin, methamphetamine, or cocaine—are sealed in waterproof packets and pushed into the body before it is sewn shut and shipped as a deceased relative or unidentified foreigner.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), traffickers have grown more innovative in their methods across East Africa, a region increasingly targeted as a transit hub between Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
“What we’re witnessing is not just crime. It’s cruelty and **disrespect for human dignity,” added Lyimo.
The DCEA warns all families planning to bring bodies into Tanzania to personally confirm documentation, demand sealed caskets, and cooperate with security checks. Lyimo emphasized that criminal liability may extend to those found facilitating or even unknowingly assisting in such operations.
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“It’s no longer safe to assume every coffin is just that. We must all be vigilant,” he said.
Aside from body smuggling, the commissioner noted that drug mules—individuals who swallow drug pellets to pass through airports—are also facing tighter scrutiny. Tanzania has upgraded its screening systems, including backscatter X-ray machines and full-body scanners, particularly at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
“These people may think they can outsmart the system,” said Lyimo. “But with today’s technology, that’s becoming increasingly difficult.”
Earlier this year, the DCEA announced the seizure of over 790 kilograms of narcotics across multiple regions, including cannabis, ketamine, and flunitrazepam. Smugglers have hidden drugs in everything from fertilizer bags to shipping containers—and now, it seems, in the bodies of the deceased.
Tanzania has long struggled with narco-transit risks due to its strategic location on the Indian Ocean coast. Traffickers use the region to move drugs from Afghanistan and South America into Europe and the Middle East.
- Report suspicious shipments or unusually handled corpses to authorities.
- When repatriating deceased relatives, insist on verified documentation and visible chain of custody.
- Avoid handling packages or goods for others in international airports.
- Educate family members on the signs of drug smuggling and methods used.
