A former worker of the U.S. Embassy smuggled cocaine in Marlboro cartons and Choco-pie containers into america, the Division of Justice mentioned in an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court docket.
Jairo Eliezer Arias Caceres, a safety officer within the U.S. Embassy within the Dominican Republic, smuggled cocaine into numerous airports within the New York space by disguising the cocaine in numerous packages, court docket paperwork alleged.
Division of Justice
Prosecutors accuse Arias Caceres, 35, of constructing a transnational conspiracy from April 2023 to about December 2023 wherein he recruited couriers, paid for and organized for his or her journey to and from the Dominican Republic to america to ship the cocaine.
Earlier than Arias Caceres secured a job on the U.S. Embassy, he labored as a safety officer for seven years on the airport in Santo Domingo, court docket paperwork mentioned.
“Whereas Arias Caceres was speculated to be defending our diplomats and embassy workers from hazard, he was allegedly busy endangering New Yorkers by pumping unlawful medicine into our neighborhood,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Jay Clayton in an announcement.
An legal professional for Arias Caceres wasn’t instantly listed.
Cocaine has been discovered hidden in distinctive containers throughout the globe in current months. Final month, Russia mentioned authorities seized 1,800 kilos of cocaine hidden underneath a cargo of bananas.
In June, Sri Lankan authorities discovered 22 kilos of cocaine stuffed into three plush toys on the airport.
In February, Colombian authorities seized 220 grams of cocaine packaged in small baggage, strategically positioned underneath what authorities described as a “narco wig.”
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