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Cost of World Cup trophy likeness nothing to sniff at

Bogota airport officials said this World Cup trophy replica was made out of cocaine. (Associated Press)
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review
Bogota airport officials said this World Cup trophy replica was made out of cocaine. (Associated Press)

BOGOTA, Colombia – Fans worldwide have fashioned replicas of the World Cup trophy out of everything from papier-mache to plastic. But a lawbreaker in Colombia gets top prize for most original material: cocaine.

Airports anti-drug chief Col. Jose Piedrahita says that Colombian authorities found the statue during a security check by anti-drug agents Friday in a mail warehouse at Bogota’s international airport.

The 14-inch-high statue was inside a box headed for Madrid, Spain. The statue was painted gold with green stripes on the base.

Piedrahita said Saturday that laboratory tests confirmed the cup was made of 24 pounds of cocaine mixed with acetone or gasoline to make it moldable.