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.
Cox Media Group