STERLING, Va. — A Sudanese man was arrested Tuesday by Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) Police after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered narcotics in his checked baggage at Washington Dulles International Airport.
CBP officers conducted a routine examination of passengers boarding a flight to Ethiopia, and encountered Abdelsalam Abdelhafiz, 37-years-old, of Sudan. Abdelhafiz entered the U.S. on a travel visa in 2005 and never left. CBP officers escorted Abdelhafiz and his checked baggage to CBP’s inspection station for a secondary examination. While inspecting Abdelhafiz’s checked baggage, CBP officers discovered nearly 14 grams of marijuana, a grinder, and nearly two grams of methamphetamine.
CBP officers notified MWAA Police, who took custody of Abdelhafiz and charged him with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
“Narcotics enforcement remains a Customs and Border Protection enforcement priority, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to seize it when we encounter it,” said Daniel Mattina, CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington Dulles. “Enforcing U.S. law at our nation’s border is one way in which CBP contributes to our national security, and it’s a responsibility that CBP takes very serious.”
CBP issued a detainer for Abdelhafiz to be returned to CBP upon adjudication of his charges.
The Transportation Security Administration joined CBP during the joint-agency outbound examination.
“Customs and Border Protection remains committed to collaborating with our partners at federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce U.S. laws and to intercept illicit narcotics,” said Casey Owen Durst, Director, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore. “It’s one way in which CBP contributes to helping keep our communities safe.”
Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP’s Travel website to learn more about the CBP admissions process and rules governing travel to and from the U.S.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations
Almost a million times each day, CBP officers welcome international travelers into the U.S. In screening both foreign visitors and returning U.S. citizens, CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong.
On a typical day, CBP seized 7,910 pounds of illicit narcotics along our nation’s borders during 2016. Learn more about what CBP did during “A Typical Day” in 2016.
CBP’s border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
credit:cbp.gov