They arrest a man who flew to the United States with a tomato can full of cocaine

NY – US authorities reported on Monday that they arrested a man who arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) with a tomato can filled with 2.2 pounds of cocaine worth $ 160,000.

Keiter Elian Rijo Morales, 26, “had more than spaghetti and meatballs in mind when customs and border guards seized his illegal spices” at the airport, the agency said in a statement. .

Rijo Morales arrived in New York on December 26 on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the officers inspected a large metal can he carried in his luggage labeled “Bella Tomato Paste,” which turned out to be another. thing.

“CBP agents opened the container and discovered a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine,” the agency explained, after which the man was arrested for importing a controlled substance and handed over to the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

The arrested man had hidden five pounds (2.2 kilos) of cocaine in the tomato can, which authorities estimated on the street would have fetched $ 160,000.

“The smuggling of illegal drugs is a significant threat to our nation and the CBP is doing its best to keep these drugs off our streets,” said Troy Miller, the director of the New York service.

“As a united US border security agency, our employees are committed to protecting the public from these substances.”

Rijo Morales is charged with federal drug smuggling and his case will be prosecuted by the district attorney in New York’s Eastern District.