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Officials: Man smuggles nearly $2M worth of cocaine in bags of shrimp at JFK Int'l Airport

Loose clothing and multiple packages of frozen jumbo shrimp wrapped in sealed plastic were found inside the luggage.

Lanette Espy

Jan 22, 2024, 11:16 AM

Updated 317 days ago

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A man was caught trying to smuggle nearly $2 million worth of cocaine into John F. Kennedy International Airport inside bags of frozen jumbo shrimp, according to the Department of Justice.
Officials say Zacharie Scott, 22, was arrested Friday after landing in New York from Guyana. They say Scott was selected for secondary screening at the airport when officers with the United States Customs and Border Protection found 40 pounds of cocaine in two of his suitcases.
Loose clothing and multiple packages of frozen jumbo shrimp wrapped in sealed plastic were found inside the luggage. The packages were cut open, revealing brick-shaped objects. Officials say each of the packages contained a white powdery substance.
According to officials, Scott admitted it was wrong to bring the packages into the U.S. and that he had done so in exchange for an expected payment of $5,000 to $6,000.
Scott is detained until a bail hearing on Tuesday. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.