By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Jan. 13, 2021: A Caribbean national was yesterday charged with smuggling cocaine into the US through Newark Airport in New Jersey.
Perez Omar Gibbs, 37, of Jamaica, made his initial appearance on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, on charges that he smuggled approximately one kilogram of cocaine into the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Gibbs was arrested on Jan. 9, 2021 and is charged by complaint with one count of importation of controlled substances. He appeared by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor and was remanded without bail.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Gibbs arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Law enforcement officers discovered that Gibbs possessed approximately one kilogram of cocaine concealed inside two bags of coffee and four picture frames.
The count with which Gibbs is charged carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine.
