CBP seizes $1.4M in cocaine

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officers at the Calexico commercial facility intercepted more than 100 pounds of cocaine concealed in a specially built compartment of a trailer on Tuesday.

CBP said in a release the incident a 22-year-old Mexican citizen pulled the rig into the primary cargo lanes about 11:30 a.m., whereupon he was redirected to secondary inspection.

CBP officers screened the truck using the port’s imaging system and found anomalies on the front bottom area of the trailer. The truck was sent to the dock for further inspection and a K-9 tea, alerted to the presence of narcotics.

A total of 38 packages of cocaine, weighing approximately 105 pounds, reportedly were extracted by CBP officers from the custom compartment. The cocaine had an estimated street value of $1.4 million, the release said.

CBP officers turned the driver over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further processing, and seized the tractor, trailer and narcotics.