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Authorities: Heroin Was Found In Seat Cushion Allegedly Smuggled Into JFK

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials released photos Friday of heroin that was allegedly hidden in the a seat cushion carried by a man on a flight that landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport last week.

On Friday, March 26, Guatemalan citizen Esteban Antonio Ortiz Ramos arrived at JFK from Guatemala via San Salvador, El Salvador and approached customs agents for inspection, authorities said.

Customs officers identified a bag belonging to Ortiz Ramos and brought it to an examination room, authorities said. They found the seat cushion inside the bag, and probed it to find a brown powdery substance that tested positive for heroin, authorities said.

A weight of 2 pounds of heroin with a street value of more than $66,000 was seized, authorities said.

Ortiz Ramos faces federal narcotics smuggling charges.

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