That's some drug habit: Women dressed as nuns attempt to smuggle 4lb of cocaine under religious robes

The three women were paraded in front of the media by police

Three women have been arrested after attempting to smuggle drugs on to a Caribbean island while disguised as nuns.

The women, aged 20, 32 and 37 were caught with 4lb (2 kg) of cocaine strapped to their legs and hidden underneath their nuns’ habits when arriving at the popular Colombian holiday destination San Andres. Police on the island said they searched the smugglers when they thought their outfits did not look right, before finding the drugs and parading the women in front of the media.

Police captain Oscar Davila said all three broke into tears and began to recount tales of financial hardship.

The women, none of whom were actually nuns, had landed on a flight from Colombia’s capital Bogota to San Andres, which lies just off the coast off Nicaragua and is on one of the main drug-smuggling routes for transporting drugs between Central and South America.

All three were arrested and jailed on charges of drug trafficking. Police said the drugs had an estimated street value of around $35,000 (£23,000).