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  4. CBP at JFK Seizes Cocaine Inside Passenger

CBP at JFK Seizes Cocaine Inside Passenger

Release Date
Tue, 05/05/2015

U. S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Catch Cocaine Swallowed by Passenger

JAMAICA, N.Y. — U. S. Customs and Border Protection Officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport had a hard time ‘swallowing’ one arriving passenger’s story.

70 pellets of narcotics found inside stomach cavity of a Jamaican citizen

70 pellets of narcotics swallowed by passenger, who was arriving on a flight from Kingston, Jamaica

On April 19, CBP officers stopped Mr. Gyan Damian Morgan, a Jamaican citizen, who was arriving on a flight from Kingston, Jamaica.  During the course of the inspection CBP officers noticed Mr. Morgan displaying numerous signs of nervousness.

CBP officers escorted Mr. Morgan to a private search room to continue the examination where a personal search was conducted with negative results.  During this follow up interview, CBP officers noted several inconsistencies with Mr. Morgan’s story.

Mr. Morgan was transported to a medical facility near JFK, where he voluntarily admitted to ingesting approximately 70 pellets of narcotics.  An x-ray was taken and showed foreign bodies within his stomach cavity.

Mr. Morgan was placed under arrest by CBP for the importation of narcotics into the United States and was remanded to the medical facility until all the pellets of narcotics had passed out of his system.

The total weight of cocaine seized is approximately 2 lbs. with an estimated street value of tens of thousands of dollars.

“This latest seizure demonstrates the vigilance of our CBP officers, and their excellence in detecting those who would swallow these illegal substances with the intention of delivering them into the United States,” said Robert E. Perez, Director, Field Operations New York.

Mr. Morgan was indicted on federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. 

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 the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021