Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles Airport on Saturday seized more than 2 pounds of cocaine from a Guatemalan man who tried to sneak the drugs into the country concealed inside the double walls of two stew filled jars.

The man, who requested entry as a courier on business, arrived on a flight from El Salvador and was referred for a secondary examination. 

CBP officers discovered the two jars filled with stew that felt too heavy relative to their size and contents. Officers emptied the jars and found a plastic bag filled with a white, powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine secreted between the inner shell of each jar and its stainless steel lining. The combined weight of the two plastic bags of cocaine was a little more than 1 kilogram, or 2 pounds, 4 ounces.

“Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport have proven to be exceptionally skilled at discovering unique concealment methods, and this seizure is illustrative of that skill,” said Christopher Hess, CBP port director for the Port of Washington in a prepared statement. “CBP officers remain ever vigilant at intercepting illicit narcotics before it can hurt our families and communities.”

The Guatemalan man was not criminally charged after extensive interviews. Officers processed him for extradition, however authorities said the man was scared to return to his home country.

The man was detained and scheduled for an interview with an asylum officer. If his claim is not credible, he will be removed from the U.S. and barred from returning for a minimum of five years.

During fiscal 2011, which spans Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012, CBP officers at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted more than 50 pounds of cocaine in seven seizures.