Man Tries To Smuggle Cocaine Inside Clams At Dulles

WASHINGTON - In the latest attempt to sneak drugs across the U.S. border, a man from El Salvador concealed 15 bags of cocaine in clams at Washington Dulles International Airport. Authorities found the stash hidden inside the man's luggage.

 
Officials seized a combined 152 grams of the narcotic from David Rene Pocasangre Vaquiz, 26. The approximate street value of the drugs is about $10,000.
 
"Smugglers attempt all types of creative concealment methods to sneak their deadly poison into the United States and this is one of the oddest we've seen," says Christopher Hess, Customs and Border Protection port director for D.C.
 

Pocasangre Vaquiz arrived at Dulles about 2 a.m. Saturday from Panama, says Steve Sapp from the Department of Homeland Security. He was headed for Maryland, but was first stopped for a routine inspection.

 

Customs agents found a black plastic bag containing approximately 80 clams. Hidden inside the first clam opened by officials was cocaine. An X-ray revealed 14 more such clams, which had been pried opened, stuffed with drugs and glued shut.

 

"It could very well be that they were experimenting with that method," Sapp says. "We don't think they will try that again."

Pocasangre Vaquiz is being charged with transporting narcotics into Virginia and possession with intent to distribute. His preliminary hearing is Oct. 5. He is being held without bond.

Source;  http://wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=2534820

Berlin Man Faces Federal Drug Charges

BERLIN -- A Berlin man is facing federal charges of drug possession and distribution after he was allegedly found with more than 3 pounds of suspected cocaine.

Tyrone D. Lawson, 37, has been charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for allegedly being a major distributor of cocaine on the Lower Shore. Similar charges against him in Worcester County Circuit and District Court have been dropped to allow the federal case to proceed.

According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore last week, the Worcester County Sheriff's Office Criminal Enforcement Team began an investigation last summer into drug distribution in and around the county. Their work led them to Lawson.

"During the investigation, it was learned that (Lawson) was distributing cocaine from his brother's residence," the complaint reads. In May of this year, police issued a search warrant on the property. There, they found a locked shed containing large speakers.

"Two speakers were removed from inside of the speaker box, and approximately 1.7 kilograms of suspected cocaine was found," according to the documents. Officials also located a scale with suspected cocaine residue and other distribution paraphernalia.

Tyrone Lawson and his brother, Tony Lawson, were arrested around the time of the search. Tony Lawson was later released on bail. At this time, no federal charges have been filed against him.

"The focus of the investigation is not Tony; it was his brother, Tyrone," said Cpl. Nathaniel Passwaters, head of the Criminal Enforcement Team. "We never made any direct purchases from Tony, although the bulk of the drugs that were found were in his shed."

Tyrone Lawson has been incarcerated since May and is in federal custody. Police said they have evidence that links him to the shed. In addition, police are in the process of seizing three vehicles owned by the men.

Passwaters said investigators took the case to federal court to take advantage of longer minimum and maximum penalties for the drug crimes, not an uncommon practice for the Sheriff's Office in drug cases. Recently, two Pocomoke City men were found guilty in federal court on distribution of crack cocaine. They will be sentenced later this year.

"The overall thing is the enhanced penalties," Passwaters said. And in Tyrone Lawson's case, this "is a large scale investigation that reaches out beyond Worcester," he said. The investigation is ongoing.

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Drugs Smuggled In Soup Packets

WASHINGTON

Authorities have arrested a Pennsylvania man who allegedly tried to smuggle more than four pounds of cocaine through Dulles International Airport using powdered soup packets.

Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Jose Acevedo, 41, after he arrived on board a flight from El Salvador on Thursday.

Authorities say a customs dog identified Acevedo, of Carlisle, Pa., as carrying drugs. When authorities opened the soup packets, the drugs were hidden inside some of them.

It isn't the first time authorities at the airport have seen creative smugglers. Last year officers found heroin in juice boxes and cocaine in cooked chicken.

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