JAMAICA, N.Y. — U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers in New York are always discovering interesting concealment methods. Hiding heroin in underwear is another way that one would-be smuggler attempted to transport illegal drugs into the United States.
Heroin found hidden inside underwear at JFK International Airport
On April 1, Mr. Ivan Rodrigo Vidal Forero, a Colombian citizen, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport from Bogota, Colombia and presented himself for inspection. CBP officers escorted the passenger to a private search room where they conducted a physical search of his person, and discovered two cylinders in the subject’s groin area.
The two cylinders contained a brown powdery substance that tested positive for heroin. An approximate weight of 2 lbs. of heroin was seized, with an estimated street value of more than $61,000.
“This seizure is just another example of our CBP officers being ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of these illicit drugs,” said Robert E. Perez, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations.
CBP officers placed Mr. Vidal Forero under arrest and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations. He 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.