Guyanese attempts to ‘sneak’ out JFK with cocaine in footwear

A Guyanese citizen was nabbed by U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport with cocaine valued U.S$67,000 in footwear.

According to the U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, Mr. Amaziah Hohenkirk who arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana via Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, was about to ‘walk’ past officers, but was stopped in his tracks on February 09, 2017. During the course of the inspection, CBP officers discovered four pairs of sneakers and two pairs of shoes in his luggage that contained a white powder that tested positive for cocaine.

Mr. Hohenkirk was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance and was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.  The total weight of cocaine seized was approximately 4 lbs. with a street value estimated to be $67,000.

“This latest seizure demonstrates the vigilance of our CBP officers, and their excellence in detecting those who would try to smuggle these illegal substances,” said Robert E. Perez, Director, Field Operations New York.

Mr. Hohenkirk 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.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.