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  4. Atlanta CBP officers nab suspected heroin smuggler

Atlanta CBP officers nab suspected heroin smuggler

Release Date
Wed, 02/27/2019

ATLANTA, Ga. -- A 39-year-old Guatemalan man was arrested February 22 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers working at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport discovered two pouches of heroin hidden inside a coffee bag within his luggage. 

Heroin hidden in a packet of coffee
Two packages of heroin were discovered
Feb. 22 inside a coffee bag within a cour-
ier's luggage at Hartsfield-Jackson Inter-
national Airport.

The drugs, weighing approximately a kilogram, were found concealed in a seemingly factory-sealed coffee bag during a routine baggage search.

“Our CBP officers showed incredible attention to detail with this inspection,” said Carey Davis, Atlanta Area Port Director. “This seizure highlights the importance of experience and intuition as well as the training our officers receive in order to intercept illegal activity at our ports of entry.”

The subject was arrested and turned over to local authorities for prosecution.  The incident remains under investigation.

CBP conducts operations at ports of entry throughout the United States, and regularly screens arriving international passengers and cargo for narcotics, weapons, and other restricted or prohibited products. On a typical day nationally, CBP seizes over 5,000 pounds of drugs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021