Taiwan's coast guard broke up a drug-smuggling attempt at Kaohsiung airport, a win for enforcement and a reminder of how far couriers will go.

• A Thai woman swallowed 72 heroin capsules and tried to walk them through Kaohsiung's Siaogang airport.
• Officers were tipped off ahead of time about foreign couriers hiding drugs in luggage or in their bodies.
• The haul weighed under 300 grams but was worth several million Taiwan dollars on the street.
• The capsules were wrapped in condoms and shrink film — if stomach acid had eaten through, she could have died.
• It took 10 days in hospital to pass all of it, and guards watched her around the clock because she is a Muay Thai coach with unusual strength.

Outlook: She has been charged and jailed pending trial, and trafficking first-grade drugs in Taiwan can carry the death penalty or life in prison.