27 Pounds of Cocaine Found in Woman’s Wheelchair at JFK Airport: Officials

Customs officials arrested a woman who allegedly smuggled 27 pounds of cocaine into the country hidden under the seat cushion of a motorized wheelchair.

On June 11 U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on June 11 Yoncela Stanley flew into JFK airport from St. Lucia. Officers noticed the back seat cushion of her wheelchair looked “strange.”

Officers found the cocaine, which is worth about $468,000, stuffed into the cushion, officials said.

After her arrest, Stanley was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.

“This latest seizure demonstrates the vigilance of our CBP officers and their excellence in detecting those who would try to smuggle these illegal substances,” Leon Hayward, acting director of field operations New York, said.

At her arraignment in Brooklyn Federal Court, Stanley was charged with federal narcotics smuggling and held on $50,000 bail.