Wilmington, Delaware - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Wilmington seized 99.66 pounds of cocaine on August 22, 2018.  The cocaine was secreted within the corrugated bottoms of 20 cardboard boxes containing pineapples from San Carlos, Costa Rica.  The shipment was destined to Clifton, NJ.

The CBP Wilmington Advanced Targeting Unit (ATU), U.S. Coast Guard targeting unit, and Delaware National Guard Counter-Drug Taskforce CBP Liaison, targeted the shipment. A K9 alerted to the shipment which promoted further inspection leading to the discovery of the narcotics.

“Part of CBP’s mission is to prevent illicit narcotics from entering the U.S. utilizing all the resources at our disposal – technology, K9s, CBP  officers, and our law enforcement partners,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore.  “This interception is a great example of the results we can accomplish working with our partners across the law enforcement community.”

CBP routinely conducts random inspection operations on international passengers and cargo and searches for narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products.

CBP’s Office of Field Operations

Almost a million times each day, CBP officers welcome international travelers into the U.S. In screening both foreign visitors and returning U.S. citizens, CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong.