Man busted for allegedly smuggling cocaine in jumbo shrimp bags

How shellfish of him. A man is in custody after allegedly trying to smuggle 40 pounds of cocaine hidden in bags of jumbo shrimp into New York’s Kennedy Airport.

Zacharie Scott, 22, was arrested Friday after Customs and Border Protection officers screened his suitcases and discovered multiple packages of frozen jumbo shrimp that contained a white, powdery substance revealed to be cocaine, according to ABC News affiliate WPVI-TV.

Scott, a U.S. citizen living in Guyana, allegedly told investigators that he brought the packages into the U.S. in exchange for a $5,000-$6,000 cash payment.

If convicted, Scott could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

A judge ordered Scott to be detained until his bail hearing on Tuesday, January 23.