A Dominican woman flying into New York City was arrested last week, accused of smuggling 28 pounds of cocaine inside the wheels of her wheelchair, authorities said Monday.
Emelinda Paulino De Rivas, of Punta Cana, was charged with federal narcotics smuggling charges for trying to bring an estimated $450,000 worth of cocaine into the U.S. on Nov. 10, Customs and Border Protection officials said.
CBP officers first decided to interview Ms. De Rivas because she was traveling in a wheelchair at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Officers then observed that the wheels on her chair weren’t moving as she rolled around, prompting them to X-ray her chair and notice “an anomaly in all four wheels,” according to the CBP.