More than 11 pounds of heroin were found on Christmas Eve in the lining of a Ghanaian woman's luggage at Washington Dulles International Airport, authorities said.
The woman, 68-year-old Nana Tweneboah, faces federal narcotics smuggling charges. The heroin found in her suitcase had a street value of about $365,000, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said.
Tweneboah arrived at Dulles shortly after 3 p.m. Monday, traveling from Ghana with a layover in Amsterdam. She told Homeland Security agents that she came to the United States to visit her children in Alexandria.
After a CPB officer removed all the items from the woman's suitcase, the officer noticed that it seemed unusually heavy. The officer then found a large package in the bottom lining of the suitcase. It contained a powdery substance that tested positive for heroin, according to a court document.
