NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A man was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday for attempting to smuggle cocaine, that had been concealed in a bag of frozen jumbo shrimp, into the U.S. from Guyana, according to the Department of Justice.
Zacharie Scott, 22, is a U.S. resident who resides in Guyana. On Friday, Scott arrived at JFK on Flight 2694 from Guyana, the DOJ said.
As part of the screening process to gain access to the country, Scott was chosen by officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for secondary screening, officials said.
The defendant had two suitcases and confirmed both belonged to him, authorities said.
CPD officers examined the luggage, and found multiple packages of frozen jumbo shrimp wrapped in sealed plastic inside. Once officials cut open the plastic, they found brick-shaped objects that contained a white, powdery substance, the DOJ said.
The substance ended up being about 18.45 kilograms of cocaine, as determined by a field test.
Scott was placed under arrest by Homeland Security, and the DOJ said that he admitted that he knew it was wrong to smuggle the drugs into the U.S., and did so for an expected payment of $5,000 to $6,000.
The defendant appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court on Saturday. The judge ordered that Scott be detained until a bail hearing on Tuesday.
If convicted, Scott could face up to 20 years in prison.