Woman caught smuggling cocaine from Jamaica to US inside fried fish

Florida, United States — United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have nabbed a 38-year-old woman who travelled from Jamaica with over two pounds of cocaine hidden inside fried fish.

The woman, whose nationality and name were not released by US officials, had the drug-stuffed food in her luggage.

She arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday, but the CBP only made the seizure public in a statement issued yesterday.

It was during an X-ray examination of the woman’s luggage that officers from the CBP’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) “noticed anomalies in some of the cooked fish”.

“Upon further examination, the officers observed that the bellies of some of the fish were sewn together and certain fish felt thicker than the rest. CBP OFO officers discovered approximately 2.3 pounds of cocaine and subsequently seized the illicit substance,” the statement added.

Miami International Airport port director Christopher Maston said drug smugglers were using increasingly innovative methods and last weekend’s interception was “an excellent example of how our highly trained officers continue to use their experience and knowledge to detect and interdict the flow of illegal narcotics”.

CBP officers and agents seized more than 3.8 million pounds of narcotics across the country last year.

OFO officers, whose primary mission is anti-terrorism, screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the US.