London (CNN) -- Drug smugglers are using ever more creative methods to hide their stashes, including tucking them inside yams, peanuts and birthday cards, a new list reveals.
The list -- released by the UK Border Agency -- rounds up last year's most unusual drug concealments. Details of the smuggling scams are used to raise awareness on drug traffickers' ploys and the penalties that follow.
"These smuggling attempts show the lengths that organized criminals will go to in a bid to get drugs into the UK," said Brodie Clark, chief of Border Force.
In March, authorities nabbed a suspect with cocaine concealed in packets of peanuts and cashew nuts. The freight at Gatwick Airport had been sent from Jamaica. A 50-year-old man pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and was sent to prison for seven years.
In another case, cocaine was found in metal drums containing powdered nuts at Heathrow Airport. It had originated in Mexico and was destined for Melbourne, Australia. In a joint operation with their Australian counterparts, UK police sent a dummy shipment to the address, and police nabbed five men who opened the drums.
Famous names were dragged into the scams as well.
Drug smugglers tried to conceal cannabis in a painting of former Arsenal player Emmanuel Adebayor. The wooden frame of the soccer star originated from his native Togo and was destined for an address in Tottenham -- close to the team's north London rival by the same name. Investigations are ongoing.
In August, authorities seized yams concealed with drugs aboard a freight flight at Kent International Airport in Manston. The food, which had been cut open to stash the drugs and glued back together, originated from Ghana.
Other hiding places include drugs scatterered inside air spaces of glass ornaments shaped like love hearts, chickens and miniature bottles. Origin? Peru. Destination? Bristol.
The list goes on and on. Officials intercepted a man who had strapped blocks of heroin onto his body; a suspect who had hidden drugs on a birthday card and two others who had swallowed packs of drugs.
Authorities said they use various ways to catch smugglers, including sniffer dogs, X-ray machines, intelligence and scans on passengers' baggage.
"Criminals are prepared to invest large sums of money to come up with ever better concealment methods because they know the potential profits from the awful trade in harmful drugs are considerable," Clark said.
"However, the smugglers are no match for the skill of our officers and the state-of-the-art technology at their disposal". CNN
