Canadian Mint Employee Accused Of Smuggling $140,000 In Gold In Rectum

Prosecutors say a Royal Canadian Mint employee evaded high security by smuggling nearly $140,000 in gold nuggets in his rectum.

The Ottawa Citizen reports Leston Lawrence, 35, is facing theft, laundering and breach of trust charges in the scheme.

Prosecutors say the Lawrence took round chunks of gold about the size of a cookie from the mint to a gold buying firm in a mall, then deposited the checks at a nearby bank. Lawrence evaded detection despite setting off the metal detector more than any employee without metal medical implants—he would always pass a secondary search.

A teller, not the mint, alerted investigators to the scheme. In all, 18 pieces of gold had been smuggled and sold at a value of nearly $180,000 Canadian, or nearly $140,000 U.S.