Federal authorities seized a combined total of nearly 44 pounds of heroin worth more than $1.5 million that was smuggled on flights from Ecuador to John F. Kennedy International Airport in three incidents over a recent six-day span.

Bags of powdered milk and coffee that were found to contain heroin recently at JFK Airport

Customs and Border Protection officers were conducting a canine examination of luggage arriving on Lan Ecuador flight 538 from Guayaquil, Ecuador, when the dogs honed in on a suitcase on Sept. 14.

The suitcase contained three powdered milk bags and one bag of coffee that were found to contain heroin. The bottom of the checked suitcase appeared unusually thick and was also found to contain heroin. A total of 17.4 lbs. of heroin worth more than $550,000 were found in that case.

Then on Sept. 18, during a canine exam of luggage arriving on Aero Gael flight 700 from the same city, the dogs again alerted officers to a bag that was found to contain five concealed packages of heroin and three bags of milk powder that also contained heroin.  A total of 16.3 lbs. of heroin worth more than $510,000 was seized in that case.

In each of those cases, the Ecuadorean citizens who checked the luggage were arrested.

This June 18, 2002, file photo shows Italy's Angelo Di Livio argues with referee Byron Moreno, left, after he showed a red card to Francesco Totti, as Christian Vieri, rear right, looks on during a game against South Korea at the 2002 World Cup in Daejeon, South Korea . Moreno of Ecuador was caught at Kennedy airport with bags of the drug taped to his body. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

But on Sept. 20, Customs agents made a third heroin smuggling arrest that was the smallest in terms of weight yet made the biggest splash. A federal judge ordered former soccer referee Byron Moreno held without bail after officers found 10 bags of heroin totaling 10 lbs strapped to his body—also on a flight from the same city.

Authorities estimate the street value of the heroin is about $400,000. Guayaquil police said they were investigating how Moreno avoided security measures in the Ecuadorean airport.

“The drug-sniffing dogs didn’t detect it,” police Col. Juan Cabrera said. “Perhaps the heroin was contaminated or mixed with some other substance to keep the dogs from finding it.”

Cabrera said immigration records showed Moreno had traveled five times previously to the United States, where he stayed for an average of three days. He said this may have made American officials suspicious.

With Associated Press