STERLING: A Guatemalan man was arrested Friday after he was found carrying more than nine pounds of heroin at Washington Dulles International Airport, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office announced.
The man, who was not identified by the CBP because he was not charged with a crime, was allegedly carrying the heroin inside plastic bags labeled oatmeal powder.
According to the CBP, the man was trying to enter the U.S. after flying from Guatemala as a courier on businesses. His luggage underwent a secondary inspection when a dog detected a controlled substance.
The total amount of heroin seized from the man was nine pounds four ounces, which has a street value of about $296,000, the CBP said.
After interviewing the man, authorities learned he was an unwitting accomplice in transporting the drugs and was not criminally prosecuted. However, the CBP says he was processed as an expedited removal barring his return to the U.S. for a minimum of five years.
The man’s name was not released because of the Privacy Act.
