New Jersey

Man Admits Smuggling Heroin Into NJ Via Chocolate Cake

A 21-year-old man from Guatemala has admitted trying to smuggle nearly 7 pounds of heroin through Newark Liberty International Airport by disguising them as single-layer chocolate cakes, authorities say. 

Jacobo Leonel Orellana-Estrada pleaded guilty in federal court in New Jersey to possession with intent to distribute more than one kilo (2.2 pounds) of the drug, prosecutors said Thursday.

According to court documents, Orellana-Estrada flew to Newark from Guatemala City on June 11. Customs officers stopped him for inspection and searched his luggage. In one of his bags, they found what looked like six small single-layer chocolate cakes. Officials say the cakes were actually packages of heroin coated in a thin layer of chocolate and wrapped in paper. 

The charge to which Orellana-Estrada pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He's scheduled to be sentenced in January. 

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