3rd alleged heroin smuggler nabbed at Dulles

Published June 15, 2011 4:00am ET



Authorities say a heroin smuggler was caught at Washington Dulles International Airport with more than three pounds of the drug in his abdomen, the third time a Nigerian man has been arrested at the airport on heroin-trafficking charges in the past two-and-a-half months. Rasheed Martins, 54, was arrested after he arrived at Dulles from Paris last Wednesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said there were “inconsistencies” in his statements and he was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation.

Charging documents filed in federal court in Alexandria say an X-ray revealed pellets in his stomach. He ingested a total of 97 thumb-sized pellets that weighed 1,431.6 grams — or 3 pounds, 2 ounces — according to CBP. The pellets field-tested positive for heroin, court records say, and CBP estimated the value of the drugs as about $100,000.

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