CPB Officers at JFK Confiscate Nearly Nine Pounds of Cocaine

Jamaica, N.Y. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at JFK International Airport arrested 20-year-old Mario Ramirez and 18-year-old Yenesky Martinez on Monday attempting to smuggle nearly nine pounds of cocaine from the Dominican Republic in sneakers. During the month of April, CBP officers at JFK seized nearly 100 pounds of narcotics with an estimated street value of almost $2.5 million. During a routine luggage inspection, CBP officers found multiple pairs of sneakers with unusually thick soles. CBP officers examined the sneakers further, and found several packages containing cocaine under the soles. The seven pairs of sneakers contained an estimated street value of over $450,000 worth of cocaine. JFK has some of the most highly trained officers in the country, who are vigilant in their mission to protect our homeland and restrict the flow of illicit drugs across our borders, said Robert E. Perez, director of Field Operations for CBP in New York. The two individuals were placed under arrest by CBP and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with the narcotics, for further investigation. This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District, who arraigned the two in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. If convicted, they could each face up to 10 years in prison.