By Sadef Ali Kully
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are always discovering interesting concealment methods. Within the span of a few days, they found several pounds of cocaine hidden three different ways – in a smuggler’s underwear, in a backpack, and by one guy who allegedly swallowed it – at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica.
On April 16, Romario Lewis, a Jamaican citizen, arrived from Kingston, Jamaica and presented himself for inspection. During the examination of his suitcase, Lewis exhibited numerous signs of nervousness.
Customs Border Protection officers conducted a physical search of Lewis and discovered two packages in his groin area, they said. The two packages, which contained a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, weighed about a pound, and had an estimated street value of more than $19,000, according to Drug Enforcement Agency statistics said the CPB. The packages were seized.
Three days later, the agency stopped Gyan Morgan, a Jamaican citizen who arrived on a flight from Kingston. During inspection, Agents noticed Morgan appeared nervous and continued the examination in a private search room with negative results, yet the follow-up interview had several inconsistencies. Morgan was taken to a medical facility near JFK, where he voluntarily admitted to ingesting approximately 70 pellets of cocaine weighing 2 pounds. CPB saidan x-ray was taken and showed foreign bodies within his stomach cavity. Morgan was placed under arrest and was remanded to the medical facility until all the pellets of narcotics had passed out of his system said Customs.
On April 20, Romano Zurlini, an Italian citizen, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During his luggage examination, Customs said it noticed his backpack was unusually heavy when empty and its sides were unusually thick.
Zurini was escorted to a private search room where Customs probed the sides of the backpack revealing a white powder that tested positive for cocaine. About 6 pounds of cocaine were seized said the CPB.
All three smugglers face federal narcotics smuggling charges, after being arrested and turned over to the Home Security Investigations according to the CPB.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
