Authorities say officers selected Edny Barco-Intriago for a secondary baggage inspection upon his arrival on a flight from Guayaquil, Ecuador. The passenger reportedly presented one checked bag for inspection. Upon examination of the bag, officers discovered four taped boxes of Cocoselle chocolate bars. A probe of the boxes revealed a brown powdery substance which field tested positive for heroin.
The heroin, worth approximately $400,000, was seized and turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York for federal prosecution.
If convicted, Barco-Intriago faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
"Our highly skilled CBP officers are committed to interdicting the smuggling attempts of narcotics at our ports of entry and are extremely adept at identifying these types of deep concealment methods," said Robert E. Perez, director of field operations for CBP in New York.
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