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  4. CBP at JFK Seizes Cocaine in Shoes and Pocketbook

CBP at JFK Seizes Cocaine in Shoes and Pocketbook

Release Date
Mon, 09/29/2014

JAMAICA, N.Y. — An arriving passenger at John F. Kennedy International Airport made quite the fashion statement when encountered by U. S. Customs and Border Protection Officers.

shoes and pocketbook in which cocaine was hidden

CBP at JFK seizes cocaine in shoes and pocketbook.

On September 19, CBP officers stopped Ms. Janisha Amalee Atkins who arrived on a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica.  During the course of the inspection, CBP officers discovered two pairs of platform shoes that felt unusually heavy in the passenger’s luggage.  Ms. Atkins was escorted to a private search room where the officers probed the shoes and discovered a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine.

CBP officers continued examining the luggage and discovered a pocketbook that also felt unusually heavy.  CBP officers probed the pocketbook revealing a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine.

Ms. Atkins was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance and was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.  The total weight of cocaine seized was approximately 3.7 lbs. with an approximate street value of more than $64,000.

“This latest seizure demonstrates the vigilance of our CBP officers, and their excellence in detecting those who would try to smuggle these illegal substances,” said Robert E. Perez, Director, Field Operations New York.

Ms. Atkins now faces 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