Bills Found in the Throat of Police Officer Rushed to ER After Swallowing Them Just Before Arrest

Police officers in Socha, Colombia, South America, swallowed banknotes and rushed to the emergency room after being caught taking money in exchange for not arresting a businessman and facing exposure.

According to the UK Guardian and Colombia's El Colombiano, the Socha police officers tried to swallow the banknotes but got them stuck in their throats when anti-corruption prosecutors arrived.

A corrupt Colombian police officer who swallowed extorted money was taken to the emergency room.
Photo by WION website capture

These two police officers falsely accused a merchant, who had previously been charged with sex crimes, of sex-related offenses and demanded 2 million pesos (about 610,000 KRW) from him.

Later, after receiving 1 million pesos (about 300,000 KRW) from the merchant, they illegally detained him for two hours and released him in exchange for weekly payments of 500,000 pesos (about 150,000 KRW).

The merchant then reported this to the police. When anti-corruption investigators arrived and the officers faced arrest, the police repeatedly said things like, "I didn't take anything. I don't know what you're talking about," while backing away and soon began gasping for breath.

Videos released by local media show the officer saying, "I didn't take anything. I don't know what they are saying." He then places his hand on his chest and shows a pained expression. An investigator watching says, "I think we need to take him to the hospital."

The prosecutor in charge recognized the seriousness of his condition and immediately transferred him to a nearby hospital.

At the emergency room, a total of nine banknotes were removed from the officer’s throat, including one 100,000-peso note and eight 50,000-peso notes.

Carlos Manuel Silva, the regional prosecutor, said, "Some patrol officers engaged in illegal behavior and swallowed money to avoid leaving evidence. The materials used to make banknotes are durable and not easily digested." He added, "This case is the only one where an arrest was made following a report (related to police corruption). Often, people are afraid to report because the police wear uniforms, but from now on, we hope they will definitely report to the authorities."

Previously, the Colombian police faced controversy for excessive crackdowns during anti-government protests in 2021. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated that at least 28 civilian deaths were caused by the police. There were also 60 reports of sexual violence by police, of which 16 were confirmed to be true. The UN Office emphasized the need for national discussions on comprehensive police reform, including strengthening internal monitoring within Colombia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.