Police identified the 20-year-old suspect only by his initials, P.B.K. Investigators said in a news release Friday that he tried to board a flight in Sao Paulo, headed to Brussels.
Officers became suspicious because the man appeared nervous. When questioned, he admitted he'd swallowed capsules of cocaine.
He was taken to a hospital, where he expelled 72 capsules containing 1.8 pounds (830 grams) of the drug.
The hospital released a CT scan showing the man filled with oval-shaped capsules.
He was arrested on suspicion of international drug trafficking. If found guilty, he would face five to 15 years in prison.
Elsewhere in South America, Bolivian authorities said a 30-year-old Spanish woman died when seven of 97 capsules filled with drugs burst inside her.
Hugo Cuella, coroner in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, told the Unitel network that poisoning by the drug caused the woman's heart to stop Thursday while she was at the airport. He identified her as Esther Rodriguez Roy of Spain.Authorities said they believed she planned to take a flight to Madrid.
