Smugglers caught with $380K worth of cocaine in pants, Customs officials say

Two men face smuggling charges after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said they found pounds of cocaine hidden under the men’s pants during an inspection in New York.

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Officers found the men last week while checking passengers arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The passengers had a combined total of about 23 pounds of cocaine taped to their legs, according to CBP.

Officers found 11 pounds of a white, powdery substance, which was later identified as cocaine, inside bags that were taped around the legs of American citizen Ariel Garcia on April 19, authorities said. The cocaine has an estimated street value of more than $180,000, CBP said.

Officers also found about 12 pounds of cocaine strapped around the legs of Elvin Montilla-Sosa, a citizen of the Dominican Republic who arrived on the same flight as Garcia, according to CBP. Authorities estimated that the cocaine had a street value of more than $200,000.

Garcia and Montilla-Sosa were arrested on federal narcotics smuggling charges.

>> Related: Airport officials catch second man with drugs taped to legs

Last month, officers arrested another American accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine through John F. Kennedy International Airport. Authorities said Juan Carlos Galan Luperon was arrested after CBP officers found 10 pounds of cocaine taped to his legs when he arrived March 4 on a flight from the Dominican Republic.

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