A 23-year-old California woman, Jaime Choi, is behind bars after being caught smuggling $1 million worth of crack cocaine inside a massive wheel of Parmesan cheese. Authorities at Heathrow Airport in London made the shocking bust after Choi arrived on a flight from Brazil carrying a 17-pound “Peruvian Parmesan” that turned out to be loaded with drugs.
According to The New York Post, Choi’s bizarre drug run took her from Los Angeles to Lima, Peru, then Asuncion, Paraguay, and finally Sao Paulo, Brazil, before boarding her flight to the United Kingdom. A forensic analysis later revealed the cocaine was 94% pure.
Inside the Parmesan Cocaine Bust
Officials said Choi attempted to pass through customs on May 25 with the 17-pound cheese wheel labeled as Peruvian Parmesan. But authorities quickly became suspicious. Upon inspection, they uncovered more than $1 million worth of crack cocaine hidden inside.
The packaging was described as sophisticated, but officials were still able to identify the drugs and confirm their potency after testing. With the crack cocaine coming in at 94% purity, experts valued the street worth in the millions once distributed.
Authorities say this method of concealment—masking cocaine in food items—is not new, but using a whole wheel of cheese shocked even veteran customs agents.
“We’ve seen people trying to smuggle cocaine into the UK hidden inside all manner of innocuous-looking items, but Border Force and the National Crime Agency are well-practised in finding drugs, whatever the disguise,” said NCA senior investigating officer Barry Vinall.
Her Handwritten Note and Troubling Background
Along with the drugs, investigators found a handwritten note by Choi dated May 21, just four days before her arrest. In it, she revealed that she had dropped out of the University of California, Santa Barbara earlier that week.
She wrote: “Currently I am in Paraguay in South America solo travelling for the first time. It’s been amazing so far.”
The note painted a picture of a young woman exploring new freedom abroad. But it also tied directly into her sudden shift into the dangerous world of drug smuggling.
The Trial and Sentencing
Choi pleaded guilty on August 6 to charges of importing Class A drugs into the United Kingdom. The court sentenced her to five years and three months in prison.
