ATLANTA: U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) arrested a Guatemalan man and seized more than 26 pounds of cocaine concealed inside packages of beans on May 13.CBP Intercepts Cocaine Concealed Inside Packages of Red Beans
During an inspection of the traveler’s baggage, CBP officers found numerous packages of uncooked red beans. Officers sliced open a package and discovered a white-powdery substance inside. The substance field-tested positive for the properties of cocaine.
The cocaine weighed a total of 26.49 pounds, and had a street value of more than $600,000. CBP turned the individual over to Clayton County Police officers for local prosecution.
“Our officers remain vigilant in disrupting criminal activity despite the creative concealment methods smugglers employ,” said Devin Chamberlain, CBP’s Acting Port Director for the Port of Atlanta. “We take every opportunity to apply our training and experience to intercept dangerous drugs before they reach our communities.”
The man arrived from Guatemala City, Guatemala and was enroute to New York. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
CBP conducts operations at ports of entry throughout the United States, and regularly screens arriving international passengers and cargo for narcotics, weapons, and other restricted or prohibited products. CBP seized 9,435 pounds of drugs on a typical day during fiscal year 2015.
