Customs: Man Smuggled Heroin in Seat Cushions at JFK

A man was caught trying to smuggle heroin inside seat cushions at John F. Kennedy Airport last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Friday.

Esteban Antonio Ortiz Ramos, of Guatemala, arrived on a flight from San Salvador, El Salvador on March 26, officials said.

CBP officials said they seized a bag that Ortiz Ramos had presented for inspection and brought it into a search room. Officials found a seat cushion inside the bag that was full of a brown powdery substance, which tested positive for heroin, according to CBP.

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Officers discovered 2 pounds of heroin with a street value of around $66,000, CBP said.

Ortiz Ramos was turned over to Homeland Security and faces federal narcotics smuggling charges.

“This seizure is just another example of our CBP officers being ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of these illicit drugs,” said Robert E. Perez, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations.

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