MARYLAND, United States–US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested a Jamaican woman on Monday after they discovered nearly three pounds of cocaine in her baggage at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
CBP officers turned the cocaine and 30-year-old Trudian James over to the Maryland State Police for prosecution. James arrived at the airport about 4:30pm. During a secondary baggage examination, CBP officers noticed that the bottom of her suitcase was unusually thick.
An X-ray detected a mass, which CBP officers probed and discovered a white, powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. The cocaine and packaging weighed nearly 2 pounds, 14 ounces. It has a street value of approximately US $90,000.
“Transnational criminal organisations employ many unique concealment methods to smuggle their deadly drugs into the United States, and Customs and Border Protection officers must remain vigilant to stop these attempts,” said Dianna Bowman, CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore.