CHICAGO (AFP) - A Texas woman had a loaded gun hidden in her vagina when she was pulled over during a routine traffic stop, police said.

"The weapon had a round chambered and a full magazine of bullets," the Waco police department said in a statement posted on its Facebook page which has garnered hundreds of comments.

Ashley Cecilia Castaneda, 31, told police about the gun as she was being driven to the station after police found nearly 30 grams of methamphetamines and a set of digital scales in her purse on Monday (Sept 7).

"They pulled to the side of the road, the officers got out, asked her where the gun was, and the female said, 'it's between my legs'," Sergeant Patrick Swanton told KWTX news. "It could have been extremely dangerous for everyone involved."

The bizarre incident is not as unusual as people would think, he said.

"People don't believe this happens in real life," he said. "It happens much more than the average citizen would ever know."

It was not clear if the safety was engaged on the .22 caliber Smith & Weston when she placed it in her body.

The gun weighs about 170g and is just under 12cm long - about the length and weight of an iPhone 6 with a thick case.