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By Daniel Baxter |
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July 5, 2010 - Paulo Jorge Dias Santos, 41, of
Lisbon, Portugal, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) special agents
on June 26 for importing and possessing cocaine with the intent to
distribute after arriving at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport. Santos appeared before U. S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman on Thursday and was ordered held pending the disposition of the case. U. S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, "Atlanta is not only a major ground hub for drug trafficking but our busy international airport is also a magnet for those who think they can easily bring drugs into the United States." |
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"International
drug traffickers who think they can use our ports to smuggle their drugs
are mistaken," said Brock Nicholson, ICE HSI acting special agent in
charge in "ICE agents, CBP officers and federal prosecutors are working more closely than ever to ensure that traffickers are stopped and brought to justice." Customs and Border Protection Director of Operations in Atlanta Robert C. Gomez said, "U.S. Customs and Border Protection is committed to working with federal, state and local agencies to ensure narcotics traffickers are interdicted at our ports of entry and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This case shows how our cooperative efforts are achieving positive results."
On June 26, 2010,
During a secondary
customs inspection, law enforcement officers recovered a total of
approximately five kilograms of cocaine that had been concealed inside
11 plastic-wrapped magazine covers in |
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