Man with Cocaine in Computer Bag Nabbed at JFK Airport: Feds

A traveler arriving from the Dominican Republic was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport after approximately nine pounds of cocaine was allegedly found in his computer bag and tucked inside his pants.

Federal Customs and Border Protection officers on Friday noticed the unusual weight of a computer bag they said belonged to Angelo Fernandez, a U.S. citizen who had just arrived on a flight from Santiago, authorities said Tuesday.

The agents said they found cocaine in the inside panels of the bag.

They then searched Santiago and said they recovered a sock filled with pellets of cocaine inside his pants.

The nine pounds of cocaine have an estimated street value of $160,000, agents said.

Santiago faces federal charges of narcotics smuggling, said Robert Perez, director of filed operations for the CBP in New York.

The CBP had no information about whether Santiago has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

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