HiGh HeElS
Marijuana hidden in 215 pairs of shoes

BEIJING, Jan 24 (Reuters Life!) - It gives a whole new meaning to high heels.

Customs officers in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have discovered 28 kg (60 lb) of marijuana leaves hidden in 215 pairs of shoes abandoned at the airport last year, Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.

The marijuana was found in five suitcases and a nylon bag that arrived in Guangzhou from Addis Ababa on August 6, 2006, but were never declared at Customs and only opened two weeks ago.

"When they opened the packages on January 11, officials found the shipment contained 215 pairs of platform shoes, whose soles had been hollowed out and stuffed with marijuana leaves," Xinhua said.

A spokesman with Guangzhou customs said the city had cracked 85 drug trafficking cases and seized 144 kg of drugs since it tightened scrutiny at major checkpoints last September.