CBP at JFK Seizes Cocaine Inside Picture Frames

JAMAICA, N.Y. (March 22, 2017) – This arriving passenger thought she had framed a picture-perfect concealment method, however U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport exposed her plan.

On March 21, Ms. Fabiola Guerrero Mendoza, a Mexican Citizen, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport from Mexico City, Mexico and presentedherself to CBP for inspection.

CBP agriculture specialists conducted a physical search of her baggage, anddiscovered three wooden frames that displayed an anomaly while being x-rayed. agriculture specialists consulted with CBP officers who then probed the picture frames revealing a white powder that tested positive for cocaine.

In total, approximately 14 lbs. of cocaine filled wooden picture frames were seized. Due to the concealment method, a street value cannot be determined at this time.

“CBP Officers remain ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of these dangerous drugs, regardless of the concealment methods employed by these would-be smugglers,” said Leon Hayward, acting Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations.

Ms. Mendoza was turned over to the Port Authority Police Department and will be prosecuted by the Queens County District Court for narcotics smuggling charges.

All defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.