Why is this electric guitar worth €2,500,000? Because it's made of pure cocaine


La Repubblica have a story (Google translation) and pictures about a 30-something guy who flew from Costa Rica to Fiumicino airport in Rome with a guitar (a black Squier Strat, with the label still on the scratchplate) and 10 thermos flasks in his luggage. The customs official noticed white powder leaking out of the guitar which tested positive for cocaine. Cocaine in solution was also found in the thermos flasks - a total of €2.5m worth. (Yes, there's some weird photoshop action in the first photo, not sure what that's about). Seems music-related smuggling is fairly popular: NY Times has half a pound of heroin in a guitar, and this chap 19kg of coke in three guitar amps 'bought while wandering around the shops in Trinidad', and these jokers wanted to stuff a piano with E and coke and bring it over from Holland. (Thanks, Paolo)

The twenty most popular Music Thing posts ever*

Just looking at my site stats (a rather depressing business, given how rarely I post these days) and realised I've never shared this list with you...
1. How the Mac startup sound was made
2. How the Microsoft startup sound was made
3. How the THX sound was made
4. The greatest beat making videos ever
5. Who is Esteban, and what's up with his guitars?
6. What are Daft Punk playing in their pyramid?
7. Sasha's new Ableton controller
8. New iPod does proper stereo recording (not sure I was right on this one...)
9. Dude releases his new album on NES cartridge
10. 10 guitars shaped like guns
11. Why do ice cream vans sound the way they do
12. Aphex Twin interview in Future Music
13. Blue Man group's musical toys
14. Italians build huge sub woofer tunnel
15. How the Intel Inside sound was made
16. Why is this electric guitar worth €2,500,000? Because it's made of pure cocaine
17. The worst music video ever
18. Learn to play guitar like a superdork
19. School band play Endtroducing with real instruments
20. 10 triple neck guitars
Not on the list is the most popular Music Thing spin-off, the Daft Punk Samples video, which has had 1.8 million views.
* Ever actually means 'since August 2006, when I started using Google Analytics'. The site started in August '04.
So, what does this all mean?
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