Border officials in Texas make largest cocaine bust in 20 years inside baby wipe shipment
The cocaine was estimated to be worth $11,818,400, officials said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Border protection officers in Texas discovered nearly $12 million worth of cocaine in a shipment labeled "baby wipes" last week, marking the agency’s largest bust of the drug in nearly two decades, officials said.
The seizure happened Friday at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge near Laredo when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer referred a 2016 Stoughton trailer for a secondary inspection, CBP said in a news release on Monday.
The trailer’s manifest said it was hauling baby wipes, but a canine and non-intrusive inspection found a trove of illicit narcotics — 1,935 packages of cocaine, CBP said.
Randy Howe, director of field operations for the CBP’s Laredo field office, called it a "colossal, record-setting seizure."
The 1,935 packages of cocaine weighed 1,532.65 pounds, according to officials. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The 1,532.65 pounds of cocaine had an estimated street value of $11,818,400.
"This seizure is a prime example of border security management and how it helps prevent dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities," said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry.
CBP officers seized the cocaine, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations special agents are investigating the seizure, the release said.