28 lbs. of cocaine found hidden inside wheels of passenger's wheelchair at John F. Kennedy Airport

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

28 lbs. of cocaine found in wheels of passenger's wheelchair at JFK

Customs and Border Protection officers seized approximately 28 lbs. of cocaine they found hidden in the wheels of a passenger's wheelchair at JFK

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Approximately 28 lbs. of cocaine was seized by Customs and Border Patrol officers on Thursday at John F. Kennedy Airport after they found it hidden in the wheels of a passenger's wheelchair.

The agency says officers noticed that the wheels on a woman's wheelchair were not turning.

As they interviewed her, they x-rayed the wheelchair and noticed that something was off inside the wheels.

A sample revealed a white powder that tested positive for cocaine.

The roughly 28 lbs. of cocaine that was seized has an estimated street value of $450,000.

The passenger, Emelinda Paulino De Rivas of the Dominican Republic, was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance and was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.

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