Newark, NJ- Customs and Border Protection officers arrested an alleged internal heroin smuggler at Newark Liberty International Airport on October 1, after CBP discovered three pellets of the suspected narcotic in his cargo shorts pocket. The Philadelphia man later passed 37 thumb-sized pellets of heroin. The 40 heroin pellets had a combined weight of over 1 pound and had an approximate street value of about $35,000.
Michael Aaron Scriber, 23, a United States citizen, faces a federal charge of narcotics smuggling. He will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.
Scriber arrived from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on September 28. During a routine secondary interview, a CBP officer reportedly detected inconsistencies in Scriber's answers to routine questions. CBP officers discovered three pellets containing a tan powdery substance in his cargo shorts pocket during a pat down. Those pellets later field-tested positive for heroin.
"This heroin arrest illustrates the critical observation skills that CBP officers employ on our nation's front lines to intercept bad things before they can cause our citizens great harm," said Robert E. Perez, Director of CBP New York Field Operations. "CBP is ever vigilant in stemming the flow of illicit narcotics destined for distribution in the United States."
Mr. Scriber is 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.