Cocaine Inside Cake Found In Rockville Man's Suitcase At Dulles

ROCKVILLE, MD — A federal jury convicted a Rockville man Wednesday on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine after the narcotic was found hidden inside cakes and soup mix packets in his suitcases.

According to court records and trial evidence, on April 25, 2024, Gildo Ricci, 69, a citizen of Peru and a lawful permanent resident of the United States living in Rockville arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on a flight from Bogota, Colombia.

At the U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection area, officers stopped Ricci for a secondary inspection, during which officers found several desserts and other food items. After an officer pressed on one of the items, it emitted a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine hydrochloride, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

When an officer saw a cake was unusually heavy and decided to probe the dessert with a knife, the knife failed to penetrate the cake. The officer began to remove the top layer of the cake and discovered a foil wrapped brick inside.

Each cake contained cocaine hydrochloride, as did soup mix packets Ricci had in his bags.

Altogether, Customs officers found 2.07 kilograms of cocaine in Ricci’s food and dessert items.

A child's backpack that contained $7,750 in counterfeit cash was found in one of Ricci’s suitcases.

Ricci faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on April 25. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.