A drug smuggler has flown into New York's JFK Airport with almost five kilos of cocaine taped to his legs, authorities said.

US Customs and Border Protection said officers arrested Juan Carlos Galan Luperon on March 4 after they noticed he was "busting out of his pants".

Luperon, a US citizen, had arrived in New York from the Dominican Republic.

Customs officials said officers noticed Luperon's trousers were snug. The officers searched Luperon in a private room.

According to the agency, officers found packages of white powder taped to Luperon's legs. The agency said the powder tested positive for cocaine.

Luperon was arrested on federal narcotics smuggling charges.

Authorities say the cocaine was worth about $164,000 dollars.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.