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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:703.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Poisoning prevention and substance abuse have long been priority issues in pediatrics. However, until the timely report on "body packing" by Traub and colleagues,¹ drug smuggling has largely been regarded to be within the "adult" purview. Recent events and statistics further support the notion that pediatricians need to be cognizant of the public health issues surrounding the international transport of illicit drugs.

The sensational newspaper headlines detailing the 5-year-old girl found carrying 2 suitcases with 2.3 lb of heroin off of a flight from Bogota to New York² certainly heralded the rising role of children in drug smuggling efforts. Similarly, the British Broadcasting Corporation recently reported the arrest of a 13-year-old girl caught smuggling more than 2 million dollars worth of heroin at the Manchester Airport.³ USA Today has further chronicled the increased use of teenagers as drug couriers, and described some of the sociologic factors driving such practices.⁴

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