What looked like a routine duty-free liquor haul at Boston Logan International Airport turned into a federal drug case when agents say they cracked open two Chivas Regal boxes and found cocaine instead of scotch.
According to prosecutors, the boxes had been carefully resealed and were hiding 12 bricks that weighed roughly eight kilograms in total. The traveler carrying them, 24-year-old Stacey Medina Guzman of Corona, N.Y., had just arrived on a flight from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Feb. 4, according to court filings.
A federal grand jury has now indicted Medina Guzman on three counts: importation of five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Each charge carries a potential sentence of at least 10 years up to life in prison, along with possible fines of up to $10 million. Medina Guzman is expected to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers say the case broke open at Logan's international arrivals checkpoint after a Border Patrol K-9 alerted to Medina Guzman's duty-free shopping bag. When officers inspected the two Chivas Regal boxes inside, they say they noticed the packaging had been resealed with glue and, once opened, revealed 12 bricks of what prosecutors allege was cocaine, weighing about eight kilograms, as reported by CBS Boston.
How Authorities Say The Smuggling Worked
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, Medina Guzman arrived at Logan on a JetBlue flight from Punta Cana on Feb. 4. Prosecutors say she attempted to bring the duty-free bag through the Port of Entry along with other arriving international passengers.
The U.S. Attorney's Office and Homeland Security Investigations jointly announced the indictment, noting that the Massachusetts State Police provided "valuable assistance" to the investigation. Federal officials have not publicly detailed who may have supplied the narcotics or how the alleged scheme was coordinated.
Logan's Role In Federal Interdictions
Major airports like Logan are regular battlegrounds for federal agents trying to intercept international drug shipments. In recent years, authorities across New England have highlighted multi-kilogram trafficking cases and lengthy prison terms as a way to warn would-be smugglers that ports of entry are under heavy watch. The Drug Enforcement Administration underscored that approach in a 2025 case involving a large-scale cocaine seizure, according to a DEA release.
For travelers breezing through duty-free, it is a reminder that customs inspections are not just a formality. Agents, dogs and scanners are all part of a layered system aimed at catching exactly this type of alleged smuggling attempt.
What Happens Next
Medina Guzman is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, according to CBS Boston. For now, the details in the indictment and related filings remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Federal authorities say the investigation is still active as they work to determine whether the alleged cocaine shipment was part of a broader trafficking operation moving drugs through Logan and other international gateways.
