CNN)Prosecutors say a US Customs and Border Protection officer accused of smuggling nearly 40 pounds of cocaine was caught when a police dog raised an alert over his carry-on luggage at Atlanta's airport.
Ivan Van Beverhoudt, 40, pleaded not guilty Monday in Atlanta to charges alleging he possessed and intended to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
An attorney for Van Beverhoudt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Van Beverhoudt was stationed in the US Virgin Islands and one of his duties was to inspect flights in order to prevent the importation of controlled substances, according to a news releasefrom the US Attorney's Office in Atlanta.
According to an affidavit by a federal officer, Van Beverhoudt was traveling from the US Virgin Islands on January 10 with a stop in Atlanta on his way to Baltimore in an unofficial capacity.
As a CBP officer with a government-issued firearm, Van Beverhoudt was not subject to normal airline screening procedures, according to the affidavit. As he was passing through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, CBP officers with a K-9 handler and dog were inspecting exiting passengers on the ...
The K-9 handler and dog again alerted officers to Van Beverhoudt's bag, and inside they found 16 bricks weighing 17.9 kilograms (39.4 pounds) in total that field-tested positive for cocaine, according to the affidavit.
40 lbs ..40 year old...
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