BALTIMORE — A New Jersey man is accused of trying to smuggle drugs through BWI airport.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say Gabriel Ruiz hid 30 pounds of cocaine in his electric wheelchair.
The discovery was made back on June 20, when Ruiz flew from the Dominican Republic to Baltimore.
A security X-ray showed something odd in the wheelchair's seat and back cushions. That's when agents found 13 plastic wrapped bricks of cocaine, worth nearly a million dollars.
.@CBP officers at @BWI_Airport discovered 30 pounds of #cocaine concealed in a passenger’s electronic wheelchair. The subject thought he could roll right by the highly motivated officers but was referred to secondary inspection instead. Read story here: https://t.co/92wHEg8SB2 pic.twitter.com/uVM37B4AZu
— Director, Field Operations Stephen Maloney (@DFOBaltimore) June 28, 2022
Ruiz is now facing charges of narcotics importation and drug possession.
