Federal authorities reported that customs inspectors at New York’s Kennedy International Airport apprehended $450,000 worth of cocaine from a tourist concealing the contraband in the wheelchair’s wheels.
A woman traveling from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic in a wheelchair whose wheels weren’t turning was stopped by Customs and Border Patrol agents on Nov. 10, according to agency officials.
According to a news statement from CPB, the police X-rayed the wheelchair and found an “anomaly” in each of the four wheels.
When officers searched the tires, they discovered a white powder containing cocaine.
According to police, the wheels contained 28 pounds (12.7 kilos) of cocaine with a street value of $450,000.
Emelinda Paulino De Rivas, a Dominican citizen, was detained on suspicion of smuggling and handed over to Homeland Security Investigations.
It wasn’t immediately apparent if she had a lawyer who could respond.
Francis J. Russo, Director of CBP’s New York field operations, said, “CBP stays steady and resolute in working with our partners to locate the transnational criminal networks responsible for bringing these lethal substances into our neighborhoods.”
To stop these hazardous substances from perhaps murdering our family, friends, and neighbors, CBP’s job is to secure the borders and ports of entry around the clock every day of the year.
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