PHOTO: Customs officers assigned to JFK International Airport discovered the substance in the coffee bags inside the arriving passenger’s suitcase. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
By Michael V. Cusenza
Nothing like a good cup of blow in the morning.
Customs and Border Protection officers last week caught a Jamaican woman allegedly attempting to smuggle a large amount of cocaine through John F. Kennedy International Airport via coffee bags.
CBP officials last Wednesday allegedly discovered the super-powered powder inside plastic coffee bags packed in a suitcase belonging to Sharese Lee Ann Drake, 27, a Jamaican national who had just arrived at JFK on a flight from Montego Bay.
Approximately 3 pounds of cocaine, with the estimated street value of $50,000, were confiscated, according to authorities.
“This seizure is another example of our CBP officers being ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of illicit drugs,” said Robert Perez, director of CBP’s New York Field Operations.
Federal officers placed Drake under arrest and turned her over to the Port Authority Police Department. She was arraigned last Thursday on a complaint charging her with first- and second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance—both A felonies.
Bail was set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. As of Wednesday afternoon Drake remained on Rikers Island. Her next scheduled court date is April 28.
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
