A man has been arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport after having swallowed nearly a pound of heroin pellets, one of at least a half-dozen such smuggling attempts at the airport over the past nine months.
Adekunle Adetokunbo, 61, arrived at Dulles on a flight from Ghana on Thursday, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Alexandria. He gave Customs and Border Protection officers a "rambling statement" about visiting D.C. to buy computers, clothing and vehicles, the complaint says.
Authorities found that he put a false destination address on customs forms and he flinched when an agent touched his stomach. The complaint says Adetokunbo was taken to Reston Hospital Center, where x-rays showed foreign items in his abdomen.
He began expelling the pellets, which field-tested positive for heroin, according to the complaint. Authorities say he had swallowed at least 446 grams � just under one pound � of pellets. The heroin is worth about $31,000, according to CBP.
Officials say drug smuggling through Washington-area airports is a growing concern. At least five others have been arrested since March after having swallowed heroin pellets. Heroin has also been smuggled in through suitcases in multiple cases, as well as more creative methods like soccer clothes. Numerous cocaine-smuggling attempts have also been thwarted.
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