Woman, 21, Caught Trying To Smuggle $40,000 Worth Of Cocaine In Shoes

A woman has been arrested after she tried to smuggle cocaine through an Atlanta airport.

According to CNN, a 21-year-old woman was taken into custody at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after authorities discovered three pounds of cocaine hidden in the soles of seven pairs of shoes. “Shoes are made for walking and not smuggling narcotics,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a news release on Tuesday.

Officials say the woman was coming into the States from Jamaica on Sunday when she was pulled to the side by agents who wanted to inspect her further, CNN reports. There are no details on why she was flagged initially.

Officers ended up finding a white powdery substance in the bottoms of seven pairs of shoes. CNN reports the substance tested positive for cocaine. The cocaine wasn’t only found in the soles of shoes but also the heels of the woman’s wedges. A photo shows the wedge with a cut-out and hollowed heel with a bag of cocaine stuffed inside. The value of the cocaine in total came out to $40,000. It’s been turned over to the Clayton County Police Department for prosecution.

The news outlet reports that border agents seize more than 3,600 pounds of drugs on an average day. “Smugglers go through great lengths to conceal drugs from our officers,” Paula Rivera, CBP port director for the Area Port of Atlanta, said in the news release. “Narcotics interdiction remains a priority CBP enforcement mission, one that we take very seriously.”