A Maryland man has been convicted of cocaine possession after the drug was found in a cake he transported from Colombia to Dulles International Airport last spring.
Gildo Ricci, a 69-year-old Peruvian citizen who legally resides in Rockville, had 2.07 kilograms of cocaine concealed in food that customs agents discovered in his luggage on April 25, 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Ricci arrived at Dulles Airport at approximately 6:45 a.m. on a flight from Bogota, an FBI agent said in an affidavit. During a secondary inspection of his baggage, which included two suitcases and a child’s backpack, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers “found several dessert and food items, such as chocolate candies, cakes, and soup mixes.”
When one officer tested the chocolates by “applying pressure,” they “emitted a white powdery substance” that tested positive for cocaine, according to the affidavit.
Another officer inspected the caramel and sprinkles-covered cake after finding that it was “unusually heavy.”
“[The officer] decided to probe the cake with a knife, which failed to penetrate the cake,” the affidavit says. “As a result, [the officer] began to remove the top layer of the cake, and discovered a foil wrapped brick inside. Each cake contained a white powdery substance, which field-tested positive for the presence of cocaine hydrochloride.”
The CBP officers also found cocaine in the soup mixes and $7,750 in the backpack that they later determined was counterfeit, according to court documents.
Ricci was arrested that day and indicted on June 27 on one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.
After getting convicted by a federal jury in Alexandria yesterday (Wednesday), he faces a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years at a hearing scheduled for April 25.
“Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The case is one of the last that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will handle under Jessica D. Aber, who announced this week that she will step down as Virginia’s top federal prosecutor once incoming president Donald Trump takes office on Monday (Jan. 20).
Aber was nominated to lead the office in 2021 by President Joe Biden. Notable cases during her tenure include convictions of MS-13 gang members for murders in Fairfax County and one for a local Navy reserve officer who bought unregistered gun silencers after participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
