September 11, 09

NEWS / CBP Stops $650,000 Cocaine Smuggling Attempt

Sweetgrass, Mont. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 39 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $650,000 on September 4. The cocaine was discovered in the ceiling lining of a 29-foot travel trailer. A commercial towing service was moving the trailer from Riverside, Calif., to Alberta, Canada.


The northbound trailer was refused entry into Canada and returned to the U.S. port of entry where CBP officers conducted a gamma-imaging scan of the trailer and discovered anomalies in the ceiling. An intensive search of the travel trailer’s ceiling vent area resulted in the discovery of 14 plastic-wrapped “bricks” that field tested positive for cocaine. The travel trailer and narcotics were seized.


“Today’s interdiction removes a sizeable amount of cocaine from the streets of our communities and the reach of our youth,” said CBP Port Director Larry Overcast. “This noteworthy seizure highlights CBP’s determination to serve this nation in protecting our homeland.”


The case is under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/09112009.xml