THE BRONX — A Bronx man was arrested in Vermont on Tuesday for smuggling more than 1,400 bags of heroin inside his butt, police said.
Law enforcement stopped Fernando Estrella, 41, on North Elm Street in St. Albans City on Tuesday around 12:50 a.m. for speeding and a stop sign violation, according to the Vermont State Police.
A drug sniffing dog alerted officers to Estrella's seat inside a grey 2012 Chrysler minivan during the stop, and although they did not find any contraband in the car, they did find a heroin needle and cooking cap, police said.
Estrella was detained, and officers obtained a search warrant for a body cavity search, after which they found roughly 1,428 bags worth of heroin in three condoms he had stashed in his rectum, according to police.
Estrella had brought the drugs up from New York City to sell in the area, police said.
He was arrested and charged with heroin possession, heroin trafficking and heroin importation. He had also violated the conditions of his release from a November 2015 arrest for cocaine, police said.
