CHICAGO – A woman was arrested at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after being found with at least $238,000 worth of cocaine in her wheelchair.

An arrest affidavit obtained by NewsNatoin affiliate WGN said the woman previously had a similar run-in with the law on Sept. 21, 2021. On that day, Elaine Perez Pena was found with 2.89 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In May of 2022, she pled guilty to importing cocaine and possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine as a result of the incident in New York.

The affidavit said on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, Pena arrived at O’Hare as a passenger onboard a United Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil and had a connecting United Airlines flight to Newark, New Jersey.

After getting off the plane in Chicago, Pena – seated in a motorized wheelchair – went into the primary inspection area with one small purse and a cane. Based on her previous conviction for the incident at JFK Airport in New York, customs officers referred Pena to a secondary inspection area, according to the affidavit.

Pena, still seated in the wheelchair, went to the secondary inspection area with her purse and cane, along with a small roller bag she had checked on the plane.

During the secondary inspection, Pena reportedly implied to customs officers that she knew why she was being searched and that she had been caught with drugs in her luggage in the past, also implying that the last time customs officers searched her and her belongings, she was subject to a K-9 search and then released.

Customs officers inspected Pena’s suitcase and found nothing inside. They then began examining the wheelchair and noticed the cushions seemed newer compared to the rest of the wheelchair.

The officers then sent the wheelchair through an X-ray machine and noticed colors inconsistent with X-ray images of normal cushioning.

Investigators said a K-9 searched the wheelchair and detected drugs on it. Officers then drilled into one of the cushions and found a white powdery substance on the tip of the drill. That substance tested positive for cocaine.

Officers then took apart the cushions and found about 14 packages containing cocaine. The total weight of the packages was about 14.08 kilograms, according to documents. Officials added the current street value for one kilogram of cocaine is between $17,000 and $20,000.

Officials said Pena was taken into custody and place in a holding cell equipped with a video camera. While she was alone in the cell, officers noticed her pacing back and forth without difficulty and without assistance.

During an interview, investigators said they asked Pena if she had any medical conditions, to which she said she did not.

Investigators concluded there was probable cause to believe that Pena knowingly and intentionally possessed five or more kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute.