A 47-year-old British man was arrested at Washington-Dulles International Airport for allegedly smuggling cocaine inside religious statues of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Stephen James Ingle, of London, was charged with importing a controlled substance after arriving at Dulles from Argentina on his way to London.
Authorities found items stitched inside his shoulder bag and ceramic religious statues that seemed heavier than they should have been, according to court records and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The items stitched inside the bags were one-pound bricks of a white, powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, authorities say. A white substance found inside the statues also allegedly tested positive for cocaine.
The estimated street value of the alleged cocaine bricks is $65,000. It’s unknown how much cocaine was in the statues. One statue depicted Mary holding a baby Jesus, and the other was a figurine of Joseph, CBP spokesman Steve Sapp said.
