chewing gum

One of those wtf stories Source: Sky News Mr P

I couldn't find this on Snopes, but I've always heard that swallowing bubble (or chewing) gum is dangerous. Supposedly, it takes as much as ten years to work it's way through the digestive system, and if you swollow too much, it will block your intestines leading to death. Truth or UL?

This rather UL/FOAF-ish story was told to me by a friend over christmas, which he says he got from a guy who had worked for NYPD. A pimp in the city had just got hold of a Desert Eagle pistol, which he was rather chuffed with. One day he was being particularly sadistic with one of his women...