Washington - The way US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
officers put it, the arriving passenger was "busting out of his
pants."
Their suspicion led them to a cocaine bust that prevented an
estimated 164 000 dollars worth of the illegal narcotic from entering
the United States, the agency said Friday.
The passenger, identified as Juan Carlos Galan Luperon, arrived March
4 at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York from the
Dominican Republic.
When Luperon, a US citizen, presented himself for inspection,
officers found packages taped around both of his legs. The agency
released a photo showing the bulging thighs and shins wrapped in
white tape resembling the body armour of a "Star Wars" stormtrooper.
The packages were found to contain about 4.5 kilograms of "a white
powder that tested positive for cocaine," the agency's news release
said.
The CBP said it was not the first time their New York officers had
seen the concealment method.
CBP arrested Luperon, 28, who faces federal narcotics smuggling
charges.