Body pack in sick bodies: a retrospective study of somatic and psychiatric comorbidities among body-packers

• Date: 03 September 2019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-03-2019-0016
• Published date: 03 September 2019
• Pages: 45-55
• Author: Stéphanie Baggio,Simon Guillaume-Gentil,Patrick Heller,Komal Chacowry Pala,Hans Wolff,Laurent Gétaz
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Prisoner health,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice

Body pack in sick bodies: a retrospective

study of somatic and psychiatric

comorbidities among body-packers

Stéphanie Baggio, Simon Guillaume-Gentil, Patrick Heller, Komal Chacowry Pala,

Hans Wolff and Laurent Gétaz

Abstract

Purpose –Body-packing means concealing packets of illicit psychoactive substances in the digestive or

genital system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate profiles of body-packers and comorbidities

associated with body-packing.

Design/methodology/approach –A retrospective study (2005–2016) was conducted among all patients

hospitalized for suspicion of body-packing in the Geneva hospital prison unit (n¼287). Data were extracted

from medical records and included demographics, somatic/psychiatric diseases, suicidal ideation and

psychological distress.

Findings –Body-packers were mostly young men (mean age ¼33.4). A total of 42.2 percent of the

participants had at least one psychiatric or somatic comorbidity reported during incarceration (somatic:

28.2 percent, psychiatric: 18.8 percent). The most frequent somatic diseases were infectious (10.5 percent),

cardiovascular (10.1 percent), and endocrinological (4.2 percent) diseases, and more precisely HIV

(4.5 percent), hepatitis B (3.5 percent), hepatitis C (1.4 percent), high blood pressure (8.0 percent) and

diabetes (4.2 percent). The most frequent psychiatric conditions we re substance use disorders

(10.5 percent) and mood disorders (8.0 percent). Depressed mood/psychological distress and suicidal

ideation were frequently reported during hospitalization (27.2/6.6 percent). Comorbidities were associated

with demographics: Females were more likely to have somatic and psychiatric diseases detected during

hospitalization in detention and participants from Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic

countries were more likely to report diseases known before detention.

Originality/value –Body-packers bear a heavy burden of disease and psychological distress. This

vulnerable subgroup of incarcerated people has been overlooked in previous research and their health needs

are not correctly understood. This study was a first step to improve their health care and reintegration.

Keywords Health in prison, Blood-borne viral infections, Mental health, Public health

Paper type Research paper

Drug trafficking is a worldwide problem and several ways of smuggling drugs exist. A common

method called “body-packing”refers to the act of swallowing packets of illicit psychoactive

substances (usually cocaine, but also heroin, methamphetamine and cannabinoids) or to insert

them in body cavities (McCarron and Wood, 1983). “Body-stuffers”are often drug users/dealers

who swallow small amounts of (unwrapped or poorly wrapped) drugs to escape detection by

authorities. A breakage or leakage of the packet leads to fatal poisoning, especially if packets are

poorly wrapped (June et al., 2000). Therefore, management of body-packers should aim to

prevent death or complications (e.g. mechanical obstruction and intoxication) and an intensive

care setting is needed (Karkos et al., 2005). Fortunately, only a small proportion of body-packers

require intensive care, whereas the others need conservative treatment (Booker et al., 2009;

Heymann-Maier et al., 2017; Mandava et al., 2011).

There is an abundant literature on the detection of body-packing and case reports of

body-packers’morbidity and mortality (e.g. Cappelletti et al., 2016; Jalbert et al., 2018;

Yamamoto et al., 2016; Beauverd et al., 2011), but little is known on other characteristics of

Received 1 March 2019

Revised 18 April 2019

9 May 2019

24 May 2019

Accepted 24 May 2019

(Information about the authors

can be found at the end of

this article.)

DOI 10.1108/IJPH-03-2019-0016 VOL. 16 NO. 1 2020, pp. 45-55, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200

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