$87,000 in smuggled cocaine 'sniffed out' by customs dog at JFK airport

JAMAICA, NY (WABC) -- A U.S. Customs and Border Protection K-9 successfully sniffed out 5 pounds of cocaine in a suitcase at John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said.

On November 16, CBP officers conducted a canine examination of luggage arriving from Port of Spain, Trinidad, when K-9 Fenja alerted his handler to a suspicious suitcase. Jerrita Baker, a United States citizen, claimed the suitcase and was escorted to a private search room, where the suitcase was probed.

Agents found a white powder that tested positive for cocaine.

Baker was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance and was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The total cocaine seized had a street value of approximately $87,000.

Baker now faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York.