Sometimes you just have to sit back and marvel at true genius. For two years, a drug cartel based out of Barcelona had been smuggling cocaine molded into Manolo Blahniks from Columbia to Europe. And they would've gotten away with it too, if a shipment hadn't passed through Beverly Hills, causing every socialite, heiress, reality television star and alleged actress within a 30-mile radius to dive-bomb a stack of shoeboxes in Customs with nothing but a bundle of straws and rolled up dollar bills. 

Spanish cops arrested five Columbians and a Spaniard last Tuesday after seizing nearly nine pounds/pairs of Manolo nose candy at the Barcelona airport, to the tune of $630,000 and to the chagrin of my weekend plans. I guess for $70K a pair, those damn shoes better be made out of cocaine or at the very least, gold.

The entire operaton was cooked up by a married Columbian couple living in Spain who had been under investigation for the past four months. The coke would be mixed with a liquid, turned into a paste and then molded and painted to resemble a Manolo Blahnik shoe. Then, once shipped, the shoes would be turned back into cocaine and distributed.

Meanwhile, sure it's "illegal" and "morally-reprehensible," but you have to admit, $70,000 is a steal for a pound of cocaine and a new pair of heels. [NY Post]