Customs: K-9 Sniffs Out Cocaine Smuggler at JFK Airport

On July 15, Elkan Barak Durham, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers for trying to smuggle cocaine into the United States, officials said. 

Durham was apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport after being sniffed out by a K-9 (canine) who alerted his CBP handler to a suspicious suitcase, officials said. 

When Durham claimed the suitcase, he was escorted to a private search room where the case was probed and a white powder testing positive for cocaine was detected, officials said. 

“Cocaine is a dangerous narcotic, and CBP does its part in keeping these drugs off the streets,” said Robert E. Perez, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations. “Our officers are determined to protect the American people from these illicit substances.”

Durham was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Nine pounds of cocaine was seized, with an approximate street value of $151,000.

Durham now faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York.