Miami Vice? $1 Million worth of cocaine seized by CBP

MIAMI – While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remains fully engaged in our nation’s whole-of-government response to the coronavirus pandemic, CBP officers continue to conduct their traditional enforcement missions, including narcotics interdiction. On March 18, CBP officers seized 90 pounds of cocaine they discovered aboard a coastal freighter on the Miami River. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $1 million.

A CBP Contraband Enforcement Team inspected numerous containers of cargo being unloaded from a freighter that arrived from the Dominican Republic. A CBP narcotics detector dog alerted to a pallet of materials inside one of the containers. Upon closer examination, CBP officers discovered kilo-sized packages containing a white powdery substance which field tested positive for cocaine. Officers turned the cocaine over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for investigation

“Even though Customs and Border Protection, like many across the country, are hyper-focused on the impacts and threats of COVID19, we still have a job to do and part of that job is to protect our communities from the scourge of dangerous drugs,” said Jorge Roig, CBP Port Director at Port Miami. “CBP, and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, remain steadfast in our commitment to disrupt transnational criminal organizations from smuggling cocaine and other illicit narcotics from entering the United States.”

CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo, and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. CBP seized an average of 3,707 pounds of dangerous drugs every day across the United States last year. Learn more about what CBP accomplished during “A Typical Day” in 2019.