NEW YORK — They've got a nose for crime.
Customs officers arrested a man who tried to smuggle nearly 16 pounds of cocaine disguised as deodorant, nail polish, markers and buttons through JFK Airport last week, authorities said.
Officers with the Customs and Border Patrol became suspicious of Tomas Sykora, 26, a Slovakian man who had flown from Haiti to New York, when he grew increasingly nervous as they asked him questions on May 8, the New York Post reported Monday.
They brought the suspect to a private room and when they opened his suitcase, found 16 markers, 17 sticks of Dove soap and Odorex deodorant, 24 bottles of nail polish and 684 buttons, the Post said.
The items, which weighed nearly 16 pounds, all tested positive for the presence of cocaine, authorities said.
The officers also noticed a strong smell of ammonia — an odor often emitted by the drug.
Sykora was hit with drug smuggling charges, officials said.