Man Arrested At JFK After Using False Bottom In Suitcase To Smuggle Cocaine, Officials Say

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday after he allegedly tried to smuggle 15 pounds of cocaine into the country.

Dhroepchand Badal flew to JFK from Paramaribo, Suriname via Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobego.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspecting Badal's suitcase noticed it was unusually heavy and the sides were unusually thick, the agency said in a release. The officers probed the bag and found a white, powdery substance, which tested positive for cocaine.

Officers discovered 15 pounds of the drug, worth a street value of approximately $255,000, the agency said.

Badal was arrested for the importation of a controlled substance.