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10 lbs of coke found hidden in children's candy, U.S. Customs says

NEW YORK, N.Y. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered a special surprise recently: 10 pounds of cocaine hidden inside candy containers.

The discovery was made Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport when an X-ray examination showed an irregularity in the bag of a passenger arriving from Mexico City, the agency said in a release.

Within several containers of candy, agents noticed strange rectangular objects.

The passenger, Mexican citizen Petra Medarda, was escorted to a search room, where CBP officers found eight bricks of cocaine weighing a total of 10 pounds.

The drugs had a street value of about $175,000, the agency said.

Medarda was arrested and handed over to the New York Police Department.

She was charged with smuggling narcotics and will be tried in Queens County District Court.