Hidden Cocaine Hindered Wheelchair: Agents

JFK passenger's wheels weren't turning, agency says
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 19, 2022 12:50 PM CST
Agents Say Hidden Cocaine Gummed Up Wheelchair
This photo provided by US Customs and Border Protection shows cocaine customs officers said they seized from a traveler at New York's Kennedy International Airport.   (U. S. Customs and Border Protection via AP)

Something seemed to be keeping the wheels on an arriving passenger's wheelchair from turning, Customs agents noticed at Kennedy Airport in New York. So they X-rayed the wheelchair and reported they found the problem: 28 pounds of cocaine stuffed into the wheels, ABC7 reports. The stash has a street value of about $450,000, according to a statement by Customs and Border Protection.

The passenger, who's from the Dominican Republic, was arrested on Nov. 10 on suspicion of the importation of a controlled substance and placed in the custody of Homeland Security Investigations, per CNN. Federal prosecutors in New York will handle the case. The agency calculated 28 pounds of cocaine as being enough for about 6,000 lethal doses. (More Customs and Border Protection stories.)

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