At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a traveler’s bags from Honduras caught the eye of federal officers Tuesday night.
They found decorative figurines inside the bags, but it wasn’t the artist’s handiwork that piqued their interest. Inside the figurines was nearly 3 pounds of cocaine, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a news release.
A CBP specialist found three metal figurines inside the bags, which contained a white-powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, the release said. The total amount of drugs seized weighed 2.84 pounds.
The $40,000 drug stash was found in the bags of a 24-year-old woman, who was sent back to Toncontin, Honduras, which is where she flew from, the release said. Her name was not released.
Local authorities did not choose to prosecute the case.
“She is a Honduran national who was found inadmissible (to the U.S.), and she was promptly returned,” CBP spokesman Rob Brisley told AJC.com.
The agency said it seizes more than 5,000 pounds of drugs on a typical day from ports of entry throughout the U.S.
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