NEW YORK: Demand for traditional film stock has fallen so dramatically in recent years that manufacturer Kodak last year threatened to halt production entirely – before a last-ditch deal with Hollywood studios ensured movies can still be shot and screened on traditional 35mm.
Now it appears the medium is being used for an entirely different, highly illegal trade after an American man was caught trying to smuggle cocaine into the United States in film canisters.
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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stopped Andres Filipe Alean Espinosa at Newark Liberty International airport on 26 May and found 36 canisters, each containing a black disc. On further inspection, they discovered a total of 10lbs of cocaine hidden within the discs, with a street value of $177,000 (£114,423). Photographs on the CBP website appear to show traditional 35mm film stock within the canisters.
“Cocaine is a dangerous narcotic, and CBP does its part in keeping these drugs off the streets,” said Robert E Perez, New York director of CBP. “Our officers are determined to protect the American people from these illicit substances.”
Espinosa had been travelling from Bogota, Colombia, one of the world’s biggest producers of the drug. He now faces prosecution on narcotics and smuggling charges and has been turned over to the US Department of Homeland Security.
