Guyanese man held at JFK over drugs

JFK -File photo

Alfred Kevin Quincy Johnson, a Guyanese man was detained on March 25th at the JFK Airport in New York after allegedly being found with 1, 135 grammes of cocaine in a hidden compartment of his suitcase.

He is scheduled to make another court appearance today in the Eastern District of New York.

According to court documents seen by Stabroek News, Johnson arrived in Queens, New York aboard Caribbean Airline flight 526 from Guyana. The complaint sworn to by Robert Martinez of the Department of Homeland Security said that he had purchased his ticket with cash.

Martinez said that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) selected Johnson for inspection.

“The defendant presented one personal carry-on bag and one checked bag for inspection. The defendant stated that he had packed the bags himself and that they belonged to him. Both bags were locked and the defendant possessed keys for the bags. A handwritten airline sticker on the checked bag bore the defendant’s name.

“Upon inspection of the checked luggage, the CBP officer observed a strong odor of glue and noted that the bottom of the suitcase itself felt unusually thick and heavy. Based on the officer’s training and experience, the officer understood that drug traffickers frequently alter suitcases to create hidden compartments in which to smuggle narcotics into the United States. The bottom of the suitcase was probed and a white powdery substance was released from the lining. The white powdery substance subsequently field-tested positive for cocaine”, the complaint said.

A total gross weight of 1,135 grammes of cocaine was seized, the complaint said.