CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WGHP) — If you’re hoping to roll into the airport with cocaine, you can count on getting caught.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that officers found a wheelchair packed with 23 pounds of cocaine at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Tuesday.
CPD says Alexander A. Lopez-Morel, 22, flew into the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. Officers investigated the chair and found four packages of a white substance inside the seat cushions. The substance tested positive for cocaine.
Investigators weighed the packages and discovered that it added up to more than 23 pounds. They estimated the street value at $378,000.
Lopez-Morel was arrested and charged with felony trafficking in cocaine. The cocaine and wheelchair were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations special agents, Queen City’s Border Enforcement Security Team and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
“This seizure demonstrates the dynamic border environment in which CBP officers operate at CLT,” said Barry Chastain, CBP area port director for Charlotte. “Our officers are determined to adapt and respond to these threats in an effort to stop narcotics reaching our communities.”