CHICAGO — Federal authorities have charged a New York woman with smuggling 31 pounds of cocaine into the United States in the seat of her electric wheelchair. Elaine Perez Pena was arrested at O’Hare International Airport on Saturday as she entered the country on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Incredibly, Perez Pena was previously convicted of federal cocaine smuggling charges for bringing more than 6 pounds of cocaine on a flight to New York City from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in 2021.
On Saturday, Perez Pena exited her flight at O’Hare with plans to make a connection to Newark, according to the federal complaint. She wouldn’t be making her connection.
Officials said she rode her electric wheelchair to the customs inspection area where, due to her background in the drug smuggling industry, agents directed her to a “secondary inspection area,” the complaint said.
As agents searched her carry-on bag, Perez Pena allegedly told them she knew they had stopped her because she had been caught smuggling drugs before. After finding nothing in her bag, the agents turned their attention to her wheelchair, the complaint said.
Right away, they noticed that the seats “seemed newer compared to the rest of the wheelchair, as if recently replaced,” according to the complaint. So, the agents X-rayed the wheelchair and discovered “anomalies in density and colors inconsistent with X-ray images of normal cushioning.”
Given the unusual X-ray results and a positive reaction from a drug-sniffing dog, an agent performed an “intrusive exam” by drilling into the wheelchair cushion. The tip of the drill bit was allegedly covered with white powder when the agent removed it from the seat. That powder tested positive for cocaine in two field tests, the complaint said.
Agents ripped the seat open and allegedly recovered 14 packages containing white powder that tested positive for cocaine. They weighed just over 14 kilograms or about 31 pounds. The complaint said each kilo is worth between $17,000 and $20,000.
The agents told Perez Pena that she was being detained and asked if she needed a wheelchair or a cane to get to the holding area. She declined both opportunities and said she could walk, officials said.
Perez Pena initially said she would talk with investigators, but the complaint said she clammed up after hearing the Miranda warning.
“What do I want to talk to you about? I’m already f***** up,” she allegedly told an agent.
The O’Hare incident is not unlike an experience Perez Pena had at JFK International Airport in New York City on September 21, 2021. Customs inspectors allegedly found 2.89 kilograms of cocaine under false-bottom panels in her suitcase.
Perez Pena allegedly told the New York agents that she agreed to bring the cocaine into the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in exchange for $7,000. She was to be paid upon delivery.
Her defense attorney in New York told the court that she was born in the Dominican Republic to an alcoholic mother who left her home alone for days without food. In her 20s, Perez Pena “hit what she thought was her low point when she overdosed on fentanyl” that she thought was cocaine, the lawyer said.
Perez Pena’s daughter found her unconscious on the floor. The incident led Perez Pena to lose custody of her children, and she moved back to the Dominican Republic.
“It was in the Dominican Republic where she was approached and offered money to import drugs into the United States,” her attorney said.
The federal judge in New York City sentenced her to time served, which was about nine months.
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