HOUSTON - Brielle Latoi Orridge, 19, of the Bronx, N.Y., has been arrested at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) for possession of 1.38 kilograms of cocaine, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

On Sunday evening, Dec. 18, 2011, Orridge arrived at IAH aboard a Continental Airlines flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica, en route to New York City, according to the complaint. Upon her arrival, Orridge’s luggage was examined by Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) officers. An anomaly was observed in two pairs of shoes contained in her luggage to which a canine alerted for the presence of narcotics. The complaint alleges that the shoes were probed and yielded a foreign substance which field tested positive for cocaine with an approximate gross weight of 1.38 kilograms.

Orridge was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. She is expected to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Houston tomorrow.

If convicted, she faces a minimum of five and up to 40 years in federal prison.

The case was investigated by CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.