Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 82 pounds of cocaine in backpacks on board a cargo ship in San Juan off the Dominican Republic, it said in a statement Tuesday.
The drug was on board the freighter “M / V Molly Schulte” arriving in the port of San Juan from Caucedo, Dominican Republic.
Its estimated worth is $ 2.2 million.
“Smugglers are using very creative means to conceal their illegal drug cargoes in the international supply chain,” Roberto Vaquero, deputy director of border security field operations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, said in the statement.
“The experience of our agents, along with the use of all available resources, resulted in the detection of these narcotics. Our communities can feel more secure knowing that the men and women of CBP are securing their borders,” he added.
On Monday, a CBP smuggling control team went on board for a routine inspection.
Inside the boat, a team of trained dogs was warned of an odor in six backpacks near the cargo deck.
CBP officers inspected the contents of the backpacks and found the cocaine.
The CBP’s mission is to guard the borders of the United States.
On the other hand, the Customs and Border Protection Office yesterday reported the seizure of illegal products bought on the Internet by consumers in Puerto Rico, discovered at San Juan International Airport.
CBP’s field operations in San Juan confiscated “numerous” courier packages shipped from Hong Kong containing counterfeit electronic cables, adapters, headsets and expensive jewelry.
Had these items been genuine, the seized merchandise would have had a manufacturer-suggested retail price of more than $ 530,000.
CBP officials discovered the counterfeit products while conducting compliance inspections on courier packages at the air cargo facility at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
In fiscal year 2020, CBP’s San Juan field office seized 2,443 shipments of property that infringed intellectual property rights with a suggested retail price of $ 46 million.