Coke Is It for San Jose Man’s Drug Smuggling Choice
IRVINE, CA – John Wayne Airport had one of its personal records set for amount of cocaine seized during a smuggling attempt Monday morning when two bags of the drug were discovered in the pants of a San Jose man.
The suspect, Paul Francis Smith, 22, was pulled aside around 5:30 a.m. as he prepared to board a flight for Philadelphia. A screener for the Transportation Security Administration found Smith’s baggy jogging pants fuspicious and in need of some patting down.
Further investigation revealed Smith was wearing an additional pair of snug bike pants with two bags of cocaine strapped to his legs.
According to investigators one bag weighed 2 pounds, 12 ounces and the other weighed in at 1 pound, 8 ounces.
“It’s one of the largest finds at John Wayne,” said Jim Amormino, Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman.
Because of the amount of the drug apprehended the DEA was brought in, the street value being estimated at $60,000.
Smith had reportedly been recently discharged form the Navy.
Investigators said they’d be questioning Smith to find out where he got the cocaine and where it was going to be distributed.
