Cowboy Bebop and the Octomomesque Protuberance

I saw a story on Drudge today that immediately reminded me of the very first episode of Cowbowy Bebop. Before I even finished the article I knew I had to relate this to the amazing anime that it resembled! I wondered if the perpetrator was inspired by Bebop or if it was just coincidence. Not something usually posted on the Geek Flag, but enough geek ties to make the cut...

Feds: Alleged Ecstasy Smuggler Hid Her Stash In Octomomesque Protuberance

A Georgia woman is facing a federal drug rap for allegedly trying to smuggle a large stash of Ecstasy into the country over a bridge connecting Canada to Buffalo.

Leeann Corley, 25, was aboard a Greyhound bus last Thursday night when border agents became suspicious of her claim that she was eight months pregnant and was returning to the U.S. after visiting a sick aunt.

During a pat down search, investigators discovered that Corley was “wearing a body suit with a modified stomach area,” according to a U.S. District Court complaint. As seen in the above evidence photo (click to enlarge), that “modified stomach area” contained “33 zip lock bags containing colored pills.”

The seized narcotics weighed 21.63 pounds, and border agents extrapolated that the bags contained a total of 34,230 Ecstasy pills.

While Corley was not photographed in her “pregnant” state, her purported protuberance would likely have been Octomomesque.

link

Cowboy Bebop premiered in October, 1998 in Japan and was released on DVD in the U.S. in English in 2000. Soon after it started airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It remains one of my favorite anime series.

The very first episode introduced only two of the main protagonists as they hunted a couple who were wanted for drug smuggling. The antagonist characters (modeled after Desperado's Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek) tried to move the drugs exactly the way Leeann Corley tried to in the above story- hiding it in a body pouch trying to pass as quite pregnant. Incidentally, neither of the antagonists survived the episode.

So, anyways... sorry for the spoiler, and.... enjoy the premier episode's intro...

by fuzzalot