Two Guatemalan men were sent home after customs officials at Washington Dulles International Airport found 13 pounds of cocaine inside the double walls of cream and honey jars.
The men, who were registered as couriers on business, were inspected Saturday after arriving on separate flights.
Customs and Border Patrol officers discovered seven plastic jars which were similarly constructed with a second wall lining.
Inside the cavities, officers found a white, powdery substance that field-tested for cocaine.
“Every day at Washington Dulles International Airport we welcome thousands of legitimate business travelers to the United States,” said Christopher Hess, CBP Port Director for the Port of Washington. “But [illicit narcotics] is one type of business that we just can’t allow into the U.S.”
After extensive interviews, authorities determined that men were legitimate couriers and did not know the jars contained cocaine. Both men were put on the next flight back to Guatemala and each has been barred from returning to the U.S. for a minimum of five years.
The first courier carried about 3.5 kilograms, or 7 pounds, 11 ounces of cocaine inside the false inner lining of three containers of cream.
The second man had about 2.2272 kilograms, or 4 pounds, 14 ounces, of cocaine in four plastic jars, two of which contained honey and two that contained cream.
Smuggling through couriers who land at Dulles is a growing concern because of the number of direct flights from high- trafficking areas like Africa and Latin America, officials say.
Last year, custom officers at Dulles intercepted a little more than 50 pounds of cocaine in seven seizures.
