Woman caught smuggling Ecstasy in ‘baby bump’

When border agents encountered Leann Corley at the Peace Bridge late on Thursday night, she appeared to be a young woman in the late stages of pregnancy. But after questioning and examining her, they found that what looked like a baby bump was actually a mound of illegal MDMA pills, better known as Ecstasy. Corley, 25, of Stone Mountain, Ga., was arrested, and the woman now faces federal court charges of trying to smuggle 34,000 Ecstasy pills into the United States.

The pills, in plastic bags, were stuffed into a body suit that Corley was wearing, said Thomas Rusert, a spokesman for U. S. Customs & Border Protection. He said the pills were stuffed into the front of Corley’s clothes at her midsection in a manner that made it appear as though she was very pregnant. “When officers questioned her, I can’t tell you exactly what was said, but it just became apparent that something was not right,” Rusert said.



Officers said they searched Corley and found the pills — about 21 pounds — inside the body suit and several layers of clothing. Authorities called it one of the more unusual smuggling attempts uncovered at the bridge in recent years. Corley faces federal charges of importation of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and she will be prosecuted by the U. S. Attorney’s office.

The woman entered the Peace Bridge on a commercial bus from Canada, saying she was on her way to visit family members, according to Rusert. She was referred for additional questioning after she had trouble answering routine questions about her travel plans. She later was physically searched after having trouble answering “basic questions” about her health, Rusert said.