On October 27, 2024, a Guatemalan woman was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport for attempting to smuggle nearly two pounds of heroin into the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted Maria Jose Recinos Rodriguez, 31, who arrived from Guatemala City as a food courier. Following a routine secondary inspection, CBP officers discovered 798 grams (1 pound, 12 ounces) of heroin concealed within coffee bags.
Using a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool, CBP officers identified the white substance as heroin hydrochloride, valued at approximately $55,000. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police subsequently arrested Recinos Rodriguez on felony narcotics possession charges with intent to distribute. CBP officers turned her over, along with the seized narcotics, to MWAA Police for further legal proceedings.
Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for Washington, D.C., commended the officers’ vigilance in preventing dangerous drugs from reaching U.S. communities. “Drug trafficking organizations attempt all manner of concealment… but Customs and Border Protection officers prove time and again their proficiency in exposing those concealment methods,” Calixte stated.
CBP enforces border security at the nation’s Ports of Entry, screening international travelers and cargo to intercept narcotics, weapons, counterfeit goods, and other prohibited items. On average, CBP officers seized over 2,300 pounds of dangerous drugs daily in 2023, underscoring the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and protect public safety.–News Desk