Courier nabbed at JFK with 50 lbs cocaine

By Stabroek staff |
January 15, 2010 in Local News -

was to be paid US$6,000
Questions are being raised as to how authorities at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri failed to detect a suitcase with some 24 kilogrammes of cocaine which was intercepted later at the JFK airport in New York.

The pink suitcase with an orange rainbow containing the cocaine was checked in on a Delta Airlines flight on Tuesday by Dorothy Sears who US officials said also had marijuana stuffed in her brassiere.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, Robert Buonaspina, on Tuesday last Customs and Border Protection officers were conducting a border examination of baggage being offloaded from a Delta Airlines flight 384 which had arrived from Guyana. During the inspection a specially trained dog reacted to the pink suitcase, which was ticketed to Sears and upon investigation it was found to contain 24 kilogrammes of cocaine.

He swore in an affidavit that during a customs examination of Sears’ carry-on luggage she “was nervous, sweating profusely and avoiding eye contactâ€