Thursday, a man from Lancaster was found guilty of importing cocaine from the Dominican Republic. He tried to smuggle the cocaine into the country through Brooklyn’s Red Hook Terminal by hiding it in boxes of chilli peppers.
Humberto Baez was a produce importer in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Between August 2016 and March 2018, Baez conspired to hide cocaine inside a shipping container and smuggle the drugs into the United States.
Baez and his co-conspirators reportedly used the codeword “ripe tomatoes” to indicate which shipment would contain the cocaine, and Baez instructed them to transport the drugs to his warehouse in Pennsylvania.
Baez’s shipment was seized on March 1, 2018, and he was charged with conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, among other charges. He now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Source: phillyvoice.com