dailynewsnblog
A Texan traveler has arrived in Florida from Colombia on a commercial flight carrying hundreds of hydrocodone pills on Wednesday, August 12. The traveler, who had flown from Colombia to 
Miami International Airport (MIA), was arrested and has since been charged with drug trafficking. According to the Miami-Dade jail records, the individual known as Marcus Perry will be charged with trafficking and importing a controlled substance.
Perry arrived in Miami on a flight from Medellin International Airport (MDE) and was selected for a search by the Customs and Border Protection team. Perry, who is from Little Elm in Dallas, was found to be carrying the pills spread across two blue backpacks, which were found concealed in a black plastic bag.
460 Pills Found In Perry’s Baggage
Flights to Miami from Medellin are operated by both 
American Airlines and Avianca, and Perry was found to have been concealing the 460 pills in his bag after he was searched as he cleared through customs on arrival at the busy Florida airport. On Wednesday, four flights arrived in Miami from Medellin; it remains unclear which flight Perry was travelling on. Flight details below:
Flight Number | Arrival Time On August 12 |
|---|---|
AV32 | 4:17 AM |
AA924 | 10:18 AM |
AV30 | 3:31 PM |
AA1128 | 6:03 PM |
Perry initially told investigators that he did not have a prescription to carry the pills, which subsequently led to his arrest, and he was transported to the local jail. According to NBC Miami, Perry’s attorney has been unable to provide a statement or any further information at this time.
Hydrocodone pills are opioid medicines which are usually used to treat severe pain and coughs. They carry common brand names such as Vicodin or Norco, and can change how your brain and nerves feel pain. Overuse can result in high physical dependence and addiction, and common side effects include nausea, dizziness, or sleepiness.
Arrested On Arrival To Miami
Perry, 50 was arrested on Wednesday, August 12, and has been charged with trafficking and importing the controlled substance. Customs and Border Patrol have legal authority to inspect all incoming and outgoing travelers at airports across the US, and can do so without a warrant.
Common practice by CBP will be to search for contraband, undeclared goods, evidence of financial or immigration crimes, and other biosecurity risks. Their authority can allow officers to physically open and unpack bags and personal items as they conduct their search.
Using highly integrated and layered approaches, CBP and other agents will use a multifaceted approach to stop the flow of illicit narcotics and other prescription medications if being brought in with the intent to supply. Stopping drugs from flowing into the United States continues to dismantle organized crime networks and prevent addiction, crime, and other health crises across communities. By publicizing arrests, it further reiterates that smugglers could be caught.
Miami International Airport (MIA)
Miami is the busiest airport in the state of Florida and is a major airport in the United States that handles around 55 million passengers each year. The airport is a global gateway and has a large concentration of flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. It ranks as the busiest airport for international freight and second busiest for international passengers. More than 90 carriers serve the airport to 150 destinations worldwide.
Colombia is connected to Miami from five international airports: Barranquilla (BAQ), Bogotá (BOG), Cali (CLO), Cartagena (CTG), and Medellín (MDE), with operators being American and Avianca.
The CBP agents’ quick actions demonstrated strong border security intelligence and led to a successful intervention that demonstrated strong border security intelligence through the checks they undertook when suspecting Perry on arrival. This intercepted more than 400 of these addictive pills. Perry has been booked into the Miami-Dade jail system, and his follow-up court date is still pending.
