We hope he drank the scotch before adding the H! On New Year's Eve customs officials stopped Miami man Wilfer Bohorquez Rojo, 53, as he allegedly tried to smuggle 25 pounds of heroin from Medillin, Colombia, to Newark Airport. At first authorities just thought he had smuggled the drugs in "packages of plastic flags and between glued photographs" but further inspection found he'd filled four Chivas Royal Salute scotch bottles with "packages of a substance that also tested positive for heroin, according to the agency." more ›

Last week was a good one for our local Customs agents. Not only did they find $300,000 in fake bills at JFK, agents at Newark confiscated about 6.1 pounds of cocaine in two separate incidents. The Italian woman who hid her coke in a false bottomed bag is pretty run of the mill, but give credit to the Peruvian guy who tried to smuggle his drugs in deflated soccer balls and inside four pairs of sandals. No hiding coke in coloring book pages, but not bad. more ›

A 19-year-old Bronx woman was caught on her way back to New York from Jamaica for allegedly trying to smuggle three pounds of cocaine in her shoes. It doesn't quite compare to this, but still, the blow doesn't look like it was stashed there on accident. more ›

Nineteen alleged members of the “Goodfellas” gang in Harlem have been arrested for smuggling guns and stashing them in every conceivable place they could find, including gutters, mailboxes, roofs, and under stoops. All 19 were charged with conspiracy, and some were also charged with weapons possession, firearms trafficking and attempted murder. “With today’s law enforcement action, we believe we have dismantled one of Central Harlem’s most violent and destructive street gangs,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. more ›

After you've read about people stuffing their booger sugar and H in porcelain kitties, luxury cars, tea bags, Wii Fit pads, hangers and shoes, it is hard not to feel a little jaded when a person puts their drugs in a box of Virgin Mary statues. But you've got to tip your hat to this latest drug smuggling innovation: mollusks. more ›

As any billionaire mayor will tell you, having dead animals on your walls really classes up the joint. If it happens to be parts of an animal that are illegal to kill, all the better. But there's good news for people who hate jerks that kill elephants: an ivory dealer who shipped his wares from Africa via JFK airport, then down to his African art store in Philadelphia has been caught. According to a release from the DOJ [pdf], authorities seized "approximately one ton of elephant ivory—one of the largest U.S. seizures of elephant ivory on record." The smuggler, 68-year-old Victor Gordon was arraigned today in Brooklyn and will be charged with 10 felonies, with a maximum sentence of 20 years. more ›

A dastardly mummy smuggler was busted in Brooklyn today! The Ancient Egypt-loving "antiques dealer" was caught allegedly trying to illegally ship mummy-related objects into the city from Dubai and...Michigan, of all places. more ›

A crackdown on underground cigarette dealing spearheaded by the Queens D.A.'s office has resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of over 4,000 cartons of bootlegged cigarettes. At a press conference yesterday, D.A. Richard Brown stood behind a mountain of cigarette cartons which have been seized over the past three months; the smokes were smuggled into New York from overseas and out of state, and included the seizure of 22,000 untaxed cigars and nearly $400,000 in money and property. Heh, looks like investigators really smoked out these smugglers. Brown said the defendants cost NYC and the state $270,000 in tax revenue. more ›

People will do crazy things to avoid paying taxes, so add this one to the long list: Sewing $170,000 into underwear. The feds arrested a Queens woman last summer at JFK Airport for trying to enter the country without declaring the money. According to the Daily News, "Claire Abdeldaim's real estate booty consisted of 1,699 $100 bills," and a U.S. Customs agent told his supervisor, "We got a big one." more ›

Thanks to a DEA tip, authorities busted two men bringing $3 million worth of cocaine in on a flight from Puerto. According to the Post, Emanuel Rojas and Israel Rodriguez had 92 pounds of coke in their suitcases. (And, yes, the Post had a "white Christmas" reference.) It's unclear if the cocaine was hidden in anything—a few years ago, some women tried sneaking coke in via clothing hangers and recently a man was found with six pounds of coke in a Wii exercise mat. more ›

Police have arrested three current and former Continental airline employees in connection with a massive cocaine smuggling plot. Authorities seized over 125 kilograms of cocaine cumulatively over the course of their investigation, smuggled into the country in Newark Airport by the three. Jeez, why did we buy that brand new coke-smuggling sub if it's just going to sit in the garage untouched all summer? more ›

There's been a big increase in the amount of illegal drugs—heroin cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy—smuggled across the U.S.-Canadian border, and Senator Chuck Schumer is pretty bent out of shape about it. In a special Wednesday press conference, Schumer unveiled his plan to "push back hard against the recent rise in drug smuggling across the Canadian border." The surge in drug seizures by northern border agents is indeed dramatic! more ›

Fulton Mall shelves may be bare this summer since in Baltimore feds have seized 120,000 pairs of fake Nikes, along with counterfeit Coach and Gucci-brand stuff, Cartier watches and Viagra pills bound for Brooklyn. For smuggling and money laundering they've charged three U.S. citizens along with four partners from China and two from Malaysia, where the goods were manufactured. The AP says that, to avoid paying import duties, the smuggling ring had merchandise delivered to New York and New Jersey, transacting in cash and wiring money to Asia. Officials also seized fake Ugg, Adidas, Versace and Ralph Lauren items. Undercover officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who've been working on the case since 2008, infiltrated the operation and made their arrests last week. more ›

Police arrested seven members of the Latin Kings gang accused of stashing heroin and cocaine in the airbag compartments of their cars while they smuggled the drugs into Brooklyn. Before driving across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the suspects purportedly hid the narcotics in "hydraulic trapdoors that were rigged to open when the driver pushed a series of buttons on the dashboard panel in a set order," the Staten Island Advance reports. After an 18-month investigation — which involved undercover drug drug purchases and electronic and visual surveillance — prosecutors alleged that 27-year-old ringleader Jose Arroyave repeatedly sold glassine bags of heroin and $4,000 of cocaine to an informant. An additional suspect has reportedly fled to Puerto Rico. more ›

It's been a particularly rough week for guards at Rikers Island. In the past few days, corrections officers have been accused of sleeping on the job and possibly sleeping with inmates. Now a Rikers Island guard has been busted trying to smuggle drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes to prisoners in exchange for cash, according to the Post. more ›

Investigators believe that the gun used by a rapper and CD peddler who was killed after opening fire at police in Times Square might be tied to an interstate smuggling ring. more ›

A federal judge sentenced a Staten Island mother of eight to probation for smuggling monkey meat into the country. more ›

Much of the primo, hydroponically-grown herb you'll find in New York comes from Canada, where an untold quantity passes across the border at the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation, which stretches five miles along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Naturally, the authorities would like to pull the plug on this source, so six weeks ago Joseph Resnick, the head of the NYPD's narcotics division, took a trip up there to see what could be done. The good news for tokers is that the Mohawk smugglers have this down to a science, and Resnik is "astounded at how lenient the border is." more ›

A type of Guyanese finch called Towa Towa is prized by New York’s Guyanese community for singing competitions; people place bets on two birds to see which can sing the longest and most beautifully. (Here’s YouTube video of a Towa Towa singing.) But the problem is getting the finches into New York; Guyana's Wild Bird Protection Act prohibits finch exports. Top birds can sell for more than $5,000, which might explain why 36-year-old Guyanese-born nursing home worker Terrence McLean was busted at JFK in 2006 with 13 Towa Towas hidden inside plastic hair curlers. Yesterday McLean admitted guilt in not declaring the birds to customs and faces a possible $25,000 fine. But he's due back in court today to fight a second charge of smuggling because, according to his lawyer, "He is absolutely innocent of the charge of knowingly violating of Guyanese law." McClean could be fined an additional $25,000 if a jury finds him guilty on that charge. more ›

Nine people were arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine inside children's toy packaging. NY1 reports that "four kilograms of cocaine, four handguns, and more than $86,000" during the investigation. The suspects pleaded not guilty to charges including drug possession and money laundering; a prosecutor said, "We're investigating whether they were paid in cocaine." One employee worked in a check-cashing facility, and it's believed he laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars there, and the ringleader allegedly wired the money back to Puerto Rico. As for the smuggling, the DEA says kilos of coke were "concealed inside children’s toy tool boxes and large building toy container boxes" and then "the organization used United States Postal Service Express Mail to make deliveries to drop off addresses in Manhattan and the Bronx." more ›

The tabloids have caught wind of a bird smuggling operation uncovered by customs officials at JFK airport: For years now people have been sneaking Guyanese finches called Towa Towas into New York. The birds are used by Brooklyn’s Guyanese community for singing competitions; people place bets on two birds, and a judge decides which one has the lovlier song. (Here’s YouTube video of a Towa Towa singing.) more ›