A man traveling into the United States was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday for allegedly smuggling several kilograms of cocaine inside bags full of jumbo shrimp, according to federal prosecutors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said a 22-year-old from Guyana flew into the country with two suitcases reportedly filled with drugs.
During the standard customs screening process, officials said Zacharie Scott had his suitcases pulled for a secondary check. Officers with Customs and Border Protection opened the suitcases to find “loose clothing and multiple packages of frozen jumbo shrimp wrapped in sealed plastic,” according to charging docs.
The packages were cut open to find a white, powdery substance that reportedly tested positive for cocaine, according to the feds. In total, officers collected about 18.45 kilograms of the drug.
Scott, a U.S. citizen who lives in Guyana, reportedly told the arresting officers he agreed to smuggle the drugs into the country for $5,000 to $6,000. He’s being held until a bail hearing on Tuesday.
A request for comment from his public defender was not immediately returned on Saturday.
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