A man pretending to be handicapped was taken into custody on Friday after an airport security dog sniffed out 30 pounds of cocaine hidden in his wheelchair, authorities say.
The discovery happened at Milan's Malpensa Airport, where the passenger had just arrived from the Dominican Republic, according to Milan police.
After authorities failed to find anything in their initial search of the wheelchair-bound man, the dog continued to alert them to a problem -- so they finally slashed the leather upholstery of the motorized wheelchair, which they found to be stuffed with coke, according to the Financial Guard Police. When the cocaine was found, the suspect bolted up from his chair, standing on his feet -- and he was immediately arrested, police say.
Authorities say the cocaine -- which was found in 11 packets -- has a street value of more than $1.4 million dollars.