Drug swallower arrested with 49 pellets of heroin in his stomach

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A 27-year-old U.S. citizen was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Saturday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered he was carrying 49 pellets of heroin, with an approximate weight of 1.54 pounds, in his digestive tract.

Rony Rincon Pineyro, arrived Saturday at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport from La Romana, Dominican Republic and was referred to a CBP secondary inspection where he consented to an X-ray examination. He later admitted swallowing narcotics pellets but denied knowing the number or what they contained.

CBP officers transported Rincon Pineyro to a medical facility for an X-ray examination by a certified technician who verified the presence of foreign objects in his digestive tract.

By Monday morning, Rincon Pineyro had expulsed 49 pellets which tested positive to heroin.

The estimated street value of the seized heroin is $45,000.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico has accepted this case for prosecution.

The ICE HSI investigation continues.