Nearly 7 pounds of heroin seized from BWI passenger

Baltimore resident returned from Ghana with drugs hidden in suitcase

A Baltimore man returning from Ghana was arrested at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport Tuesday after nearly seven pounds of heroin was found hidden in his suitcase, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Suleiman Zakaria, 26, was randomly selected by a Customs and Border Patrol officer for a secondary examination while he was in the passenger arrivals area at about 6 p.m.

Officers found 3.08 kilograms of heroin in a false bottom of his suitcase, worth about $430,000 wholesale, according to customs. They also seized $5,980 from Zakaria.

Zakaria now faces federal charges of importation and distribution of a schedule I narcotic, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials.