Man charged in smuggling attempt

A Philadelphia man has been charged with trying to smuggle more than 31/2 pounds of powder cocaine into the country from the Dominican Republic.

Wilson Miguel Jaquez Torres, 23, was stopped by a customs agent Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport after stepping off a flight from Santo Domingo. When a second agent emptied Torres' duffel bag, it remained unusually heavy, said Steve Sapp, spokesman for Customs and Border Protection.

"So he stabbed a knife into the bottom of the bag," Sapp said. "The blade came back covered with a white powdery substance."

Secreted inside was a plastic-covered parcel filled with what Drug Enforcement Administration agents determined was cocaine with a street value of $112,000.

Torres and the suspected drugs were turned over to the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The District Attorney's Office will prosecute the case, Sapp said. - Sam Wood