Rhode Island Man Sentenced 70 Months for Attempting to Smuggle Heroin Concealed in Juice Boxes
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Emmanuel Rios, 23, of Rhode Island, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for attempting to smuggle $500,000 worth of heroin concealed in juice boxes through Dulles International Airport.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John P. Torres, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Inspections in Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge James C. Cacheris.
On Feb. 26, 2010, Rios pled guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin. According to court documents, Rios arrived at Dulles from a flight originating in Guatemala and Customs and Border Protection agents discovered two small crates containing Incaparina juice boxes inside his luggage. Each of the two packages had 24 separate juice boxes bundled together, and the CBP Officer noticed the packages did not contain a liquid. Instead, the boxes contained a light brown powdery substance wrapped within a condom.
Although Rios claimed the contents contained a powder that should be dissolved in water to become a fruit juice, the powder was tested and found to be heroin. The officers collected 41 condom-wrapped pellets, which contained a total weight of 4,974 grams of heroin – a street value in Washington, D.C., of approximately $500,000.
This case was investigated by ICE. Assistant United States Attorney Steven D. Mellin prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
