Manolo Blahnik Knockoffs Used to Smuggle Cocaine

There are innumerable women (especially in Hollywood) who will admit that they are hopelessly addicted to shoes. Imelda Marcos became the poster child for frivilous footwear acquisitions when it was revealed that she had 3,000 pairs of shoes in her closet. But romance novelist Danielle Steele has Imelda beat with a reported 6,000 pairs of Christian Louboutins.

Sex and the City star Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) tallied up on an episode that she had spent $40,000 on shoes. And her personal SOC (Shoe of Choice)  was Manolo Blahnik. The grateful shoe designer hooked the actress even more when he named a shoe SJP just for her.

STORY: Manolo Blahnik Inspired by Old Hollywood

But some drug dealers recently took Carrie's Manolo Blahnik addiction to a whole new level when they smuggled cocaine from Colombia to Spain in the form of fake Manolo heels. A Colombian man and his wife molded paste-like cocaine into the shape of a shoe and slapped it with the designer's label. When the sexy stilettos arrived in Spain, the New York Post writes, the paste shoe would be returned to white powder form and sold for a street value of around $69,000.

What was the anti-narcotics squads's code name for the year-long operation that culminated in the arrest of six people and the seizure of 4 kilos of cocaine? You guessed it. Operation Manolo. Will Operation Loubou be next?