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  4. San Juan CBP Seizes 98 Pellets of Heroin from Internal Carrier

San Juan CBP Seizes 98 Pellets of Heroin from Internal Carrier

Release Date
Tue, 09/06/2011

San Juan, Puerto Rico - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 1.32 kilograms (2.9 pounds) of heroin late yesterday from a U.S. citizen arriving this weekend from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

José Morán-Ortíz, 42, arrived Friday at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport on board an American Eagle flight, presenting himself for inspection by CBP.

Morán-Ortíz was referred to secondary inspection, where he was further interviewed by CBP officers.

During the course of the interview by CBP officers, Morán-Ortíz admitted that he had swallowed approximately 100 pellets of heroin.

Mr. Morán-Ortíz was transported to a medical facility where an X-ray was taken by a certified technician who verified the presence of foreign objects in the digestive tract.

Under medical supervision, the defendant finalized yesterday the expulsion of 98 pellets of suspected narcotics, which tested positive for heroin.

The custody of the defendant and the seized narcotics was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation and presentation of criminal charges.

The U.S. Attorney's office accepted the case for prosecution.

The estimated street value of the seized heroin is $86,000.

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