Jamaican Arrested in USA for allegedly smuggling Cocaine in Coffee

A Jamaican man was remanded into police custody in the United States on Monday after he was charged for smuggling about one kilogram of cocaine into that country last weekend.

Thirty-seven-year-old Perez Omar Gibbs is charged with one count of importation of controlled substances.

He appeared by videoconference before US Magistrate Judge Cathy L Waldor, and was remanded without bail on Monday, according to a release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ)

Allegations are that on Saturday, January 9, Gibbs arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

During a search of his belongings, law enforcement officers allegedly found approximately one kilogram of cocaine concealed inside two bags of coffee and four picture frames.

He was subsequently arrested and charged.

The US DOJ stated the offence for which Gibbs is charged carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a US$5-million fine.