DULLES, Va. -
Custom officials at Dulles International Airport seized more than eight pounds of cocaine hidden in courier belts. It is the fifth cocaine seizure of Guatemalan courier parcels in five weeks.
One man was carrying all the belts. A press release said, "After extensive interviews, authorities released the man to return home to Guatemala. CBP officers barred him from returning to the U.S. for a minimum of five years."
The courier from Guatemala arrived around 9 p.m. Thursday. After a routine secondary examination agents discovered the cocaine.
From U.S. Customs and Border Protection:
In September, CBP officers intercepted four cocaine shipments that were concealed inside false second liners of plastic jars and in food products.
Sept. 15, CBP officers discovered cocaine secreted inside a false second lining of seven plastic containers that two Guatemalan couriers brought to Washington Dulles. The combined weight of plastic jars and cocaine measured about 5.7 kilograms, or 12 pounds, 10 ounces.
Sept. 22, CBP officers discovered cocaine inside two hard brown bricks labeled as "Dulce de Panela" which is a molasses-like, brown candy made of unrefined sugar, and in five packages of "Hilachas," a beef soup in another courier's packages. Total weight of the cocaine measured 2.6 kilograms, or 5 pounds, 13 ounces.
Sept. 29, CBP officers discovered cocaine inside the false inner lining of two white jars. The combined weight of the jars and the cocaine measured about 583 grams, or a little more than 1 pounds, 4 ounces.
These four men were also returned to Guatemala and barred for a minimum of five years.
During fiscal year 2011, which spans Oct. 1, 2010 through Sept. 30, 2011, CBP officers at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted a little more than 50 pounds of cocaine in seven seizures.
PHOTO: Customs and Border Protection
