New York

'Snug' Pants Lead to $164,000 Cocaine Bust at JFK, Customs Officials Say

There were 10 pounds of the drug stuffed into the pants

A man returning to New York from the Dominican Republic was arrested after customs authorities found about 10 pounds of cocaine worth $164,000 in his pants when he landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport last week, authorities say. 

The man, a U.S. citizen, was "bursting out of his pants" when he went through customs at the Queens hub Saturday, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Friday. Agents said the man looked nervous and his pants "appeared to be rather snug." 

He was taken to a private search room, where investigators found packages of the drug taped around both of his legs, the spokesman said. A photo taken of the man's lower body shows his thighs and legs covered in what look like casts. 

A test of the white powder confirmed it was in fact cocaine, weighing in at 10 pounds, with an estimated street value of more than $164,000.

The man faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District Court of New York.

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