Cocaine hidden in shoes found at Atlanta airport, officials say; woman arrested

ATLANTA — Shoes are made for walking, not for smuggling drugs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it found several pounds of cocaine hidden in an unusual way: packed inside of shoes.

On Sunday, officials said a woman arriving to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from Jamaica was stopped by CBP officers.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When authorities examined the 21-year-old’s bags, they said they found seven pairs of shoes with white powdery substance on the bottoms. After testing, the substance tested positive for cocaine.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Hackers targeting cash sharing apps Zelle, CashApp and Venmo. Here’s what you can do to stay safe
• Arkansas jogger, dog offer comfort to child during father’s funeral
• Chattanooga assistant fired over tweet sues to get job back

The drugs weighed about three pounds and had a street value estimated at $40,000, CBP officials said.

“Smugglers go through great lengths to conceal drugs from our officers,” said Paula Rivera, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Atlanta. “Narcotics interdiction remains a priority CBP enforcement mission, one that we take very seriously.”

On a typical day, CBP said it seizes an average of 3,677 pounds of drugs.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Officers seize $270K of drugs found in paintings, tablecloths (NCD)

Cox Media Group