NEWARK: Five pounds of cocaine valued at $87,000 were seized at Newark Liberty International Airport, after the drug was found hidden in a picture frame, coasters, a bottle and jars packed in a checked bag arriving from Peru, officials said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found the drugs in a suitcase belonging to Karlo Oscata, a U.S. Citizen who had arrived in Newark from Lima, the Peruvian capital, the CBP said.
The CBP said the items felt suspiciously heavy, and that further inspection of them revealed a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, weighing a total of 5 pounds and having a street value of $87,000.
Oscata, who was turned over to the Port Authority Police, faces state drug smuggling charges, the CBP said.
