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Perfume Bottle Mistake Leads to Deportation Battle for Arkansas Delivery Driver
Benton, AR – An Indian delivery driver is now facing potential deportation and is barred from working legally in the U.S. after Arkansas police mistakenly identified a bottle of perfume in his car as illegal drugs during a routine traffic stop in May.
Kapil Raghu, 28, was arrested by an officer from the Benton Police Department who spotted a perfume bottle labeled “Opium” and believed it contained the illicit substance. Raghu, who is married to a U.S. citizen, was subsequently sent to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center after the arrest revealed his visa had expired.
Raghu explained that he had retained an immigration lawyer to help renew his status before the expiration date, but the attorney failed to file the necessary paperwork on time. Nearly a month after his initial detention, he was released, and all drug charges were dropped once the substance was confirmed to be perfume. However, Raghu remains in deportation proceedings.
“I’m extremely depressed,” Raghu shared, expressing the emotional and financial strain on his family, including his stepdaughter. “I can’t work at all or make my family happy.” He recently sent a letter to ICE, pleading for the dismissal of his case, hoping to pursue lawful immigration status through proper channels.
The incident began when Raghu was pulled over after completing a delivery. According to the police report, the stop was initiated because his license plate cover obscured the plate information, a violation of Arkansas law. The officer then asked Raghu for permission to search his vehicle.
“I gave him consent because when you see a cop, you’re a little bit scared,” Raghu recounted. “Like, ‘Why are all these blue lights on me when I did nothing wrong?’”
After Raghu exited his car, the officer discovered a roller bottle of perfume. Raghu immediately clarified that it was perfume, which he keeps in small bottles to mask the smell of cigarette smoke, and stated he purchased it at a gas station.
Despite his repeated explanations-which he claims were ignored-Raghu was handcuffed and taken to the Saline County Jail, charged with possession of a controlled substance. The bottle was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for testing.
Civil rights attorney Michael Laux, representing Raghu, stated that the perfume, a knockoff of a well-known scent, was clearly identifiable as such. Laux criticized the officer’s actions, calling the lack of reasonable care in the arrest “pretty shocking” and noting how it triggered a “cascading effect” of severe consequences for Raghu.
In response to the incident, the Benton Police Department released a statement affirming that the officer believed the bottle contained a controlled substance “based on the totality of the circumstances known to the officer.” The department added, “Once it was determined the substance was not an illegal narcotic, charges were subsequently dropped in the case.” An investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
Raghu’s letter to ICE highlighted the significant legal and financial burdens on his family stemming from the initial misunderstanding. “This situation has shaken me and my family, but it has also reinforced my determination to move forward in a positive direction,” he wrote. “All I ask for is the chance to continue that journey without further hardships.”