Three men have been arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport since the Christmas holiday, in two separate cases, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country.
Roger Levans, of Queens, got off a Delta Airlines flight from Georgetown, Guyana, on December 29, and told customs that he was carrying ‘cooked rabbit,’ according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Levans was indeed carrying some food items in the three suitcases he had, but no rabbit. Instead inspectors found three brick-shaped packages filled with three kilos of cocaine.
He was released on a $100,000 bail and told authorities that he works for Guardsmark Security at Yankee Stadium.
In the second case, two men flying into JFK on Christmas Day from San Juan, Puerto Rico have been ordered held on $100,000 bail each on Sunday, Dec. 26 on charges of smuggling 92 pounds of cocaine into the country.
Enmanuel Rojas Peralta, 24, and Israel Rodriguez Jacobo, 25, both of Puerto Rico face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
“The defendants are alleged to have brazenly tried to smuggle 92 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $3 million into Queens via JFK airport,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “Drugs such as these are a scourge on soci- ety and endanger our citizens — particularly our young people.”
Peralta and Jacobo were arraigned on December 26 in Queens Criminal Court before Acting Justice Joel Blumenfeld and were or- dered to return to court on January 19.
A Drug Enforcement Administration agent inside the Delta Airlines terminal at JFK spotted the defendants at approximately 6:45 p.m. following their arrival from San Juan.
The agent observed they were each in possession of two baggage claim checks for four pieces of luggage, each containing 42 packages of cocaine which was recovered through a search of the luggage by a Port Authority Police Department detective.
“Our law enforcement partners put a stop to the defendants’ reckless plan and they now face up to 20 years in prison if convicted,” Brown said.
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