Former U.S. Embassy worker smuggled cocaine in Marlboro cartons and Choco Pie boxes, DOJ says

A former employee of the U.S. Embassy smuggled cocaine in Marlboro cartons and Choco Pie boxes into the United States, the Department of Justice said in an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court.  

Jairo Eliezer Arias Caceres, a former security officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, allegedly smuggled cocaine into various airports in the New York area by disguising the cocaine in different packages, court documents show. 

Prosecutors have accused Arias Caceres, 35, of building a transnational conspiracy from April 2023 to about December 2023 in which he recruited couriers, paid for and arranged for their travel to and from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. to deliver the cocaine. 

Before Arias Caceres secured a job at the U.S. Embassy, he worked as a security officer for seven years at the airport in Santo Domingo, court documents show. 

“While Arias Caceres was supposed to be protecting our diplomats and embassy staff from danger, he was allegedly busy endangering New Yorkers by pumping illegal drugs into our community,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.

An attorney for Arias Caceres wasn’t immediately listed.

Cocaine has been found hidden in unique containers across the globe in recent months. Last month, Russia said authorities seized 1,800 pounds of cocaine hidden under a shipment of bananas. In June, Sri Lankan authorities found 22 pounds of cocaine stuffed into three plush toys at the airport. In February, Colombian authorities seized 220 grams of cocaine packaged in small bags, strategically placed under what authorities described as a “narco wig.”

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Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com

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