An 18-year-old woman who was arrested after nearly 30 pounds of cocaine was found hidden in cake mix boxes in her suitcase will be charged as an adult, according to a Florida state attorney's office.
Ayesha Niles, who lives in London, was traveling from Jamaica to London with a stopover at Miami International Airport on Friday when she went through a routine luggage check.
"Twenty-four boxes of cake mix in your luggage," Ed Griffith, spokesperson Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, told CNN. "It just seemed extremely unusual."
It was unusual enough that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent sent Niles to the inspection area for a second screening.
According to the arrest affidavit the boxes of cake mix contained a total of "+/- 29.30 pounds of powder cocaine." According to the state attorney's office the estimated street value of the cocaine in London is $650,000.00.
The affidavit says Niles told law enforcement that the boxes were placed in her luggage in Jamaica but she was not aware of what the boxes contained.
Niles was arrested on charges of trafficking of cocaine and transporting of a control substance. Niles turned 18 this week and because of her age of majority and the seriousness of the crime the state attorney's office has filed notice that she will be charged as an adult. Niles, who is still in the juvenile system currently, could not be reached for comment.
"This is an extremely serious charge," Griffith said. "She is looking at minimum mandatory prison time upon a conviction."
If convicted Niles could be sentences up to 15 years in prison for each count.
They should treat her with mercy
They'd be putting the wrong person in prison. But what else is new in the fictional "war on drugs" where the only victims are the little people. Meanwhile, our government supplies the brutal and evil cartel killers with AK-47s bought with our tax money.
Right, so don't charge the mules. Let everyone go. Idiot.
Sure she didn't know what was being put in her luggage and i'm sure she wasnt paid a dime either. She didn't care a bit about who might be killed using that crap, just about making $$$$$. So screw her!!!!
Sometimes they threaten your parents and send you. She might not have had a choice. 15 years is a little much, drug crime punishment is a little overzealous.
Haha this is great!
No Way!
Coca Cola, Duncan Hines, and Betty Crocker needs to intervene here as the Drug World should be charged with Deformation of Character and Content.
I love Coca Cola...Duncan Hines...all products..and Betty Crocker...Leave them out of your no-good-greedy-money-making-life-ending drug deals!!
Has she ever seen the show Locked Up Abroad?
how many pounds of typos are in this article?
Haha, I was thinking the same thing as I read it.
um, i don't see any?
Really CNN, a story about an episode of Locked Up Abroad? I have already seen this episode 30 times. Happens everyday somewhere, why all the sudden all you people reading start saying to yourselves, "OMG someone was smuggling drugs? Shocking, honey come to the TV look a girl was actually trying to smuggle drugs today!"
The War on Drugs will certainly go down as one of the great tragedies of the United States and all other countries who are so idiotic to think drug use and supply can be stopped by laws right along with Slavery, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate (hey! Nixon and the Conservatives get two!). Please, the cartels are already creating panic in Texas and will not stop until they reach every city in the U.S.. The only way to alleviate this plague of drug use and violence is realistic reform of our ridiculous current policy!. DEMAND IT!
(1) Just like the first drugs laws, which were enabled by hysteria from racist lies, the "War on Drugs" was founded on lies to the people, (2) Anti-drug laws do nothing but fill already overcrowded jails at a cost of over $50,000 for every inmate each year in the U.S., and allow the world's most violent criminals to amass unthinkable wealth and power that will do nothing but increase; and lastly, (3) the only hope we have in stopping all of these terrible problems is complete, realistic reform of our National and International drug policy.
They thought it was unusual because she didn't have any frosting mix for all those cakes.
This just goes to show that, in fact, "the cake is a lie."
Let them eat cake! LOL
I don't think we should give a 18yr old more than 7 yrs for this crime. She is far too young to have put together 30lb of cocaine. We should go after the people who put it together and those should receive the 20 plus years they deserve.
shes a dumbasz