Texas border officers find pounds of cocaine hidden inside wheels of cheese brought from Mexico
22-year-old US citizen had declared the loaded dairy products after arriving from Mexico, officials say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered nearly 20 pounds of cocaine hidden inside what appeared to be normal wheels of cheese crossing the border from Mexico into Texas, officials said Friday.
Officers at the Presidio Port of Entry inspected a pickup truck that had arrived from Mexico on Thursday with four wheels of cheese that the driver had declared, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.
When officers scanned the wheels of cheese using an X-ray system, the agency said they discovered "anomalies" within the products.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officers cut open the cheese and uncovered seven bundles filled with a combined weight of 17.8 pounds of what they determined to be cocaine stuffed inside the wheels.
Officers did an X-ray scan of the four cheese wheels and found "anomalies" within the products after a U.S. citizen arriving in a pickup truck from Mexico declared the cheese at a Texas point of entry. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
CBP seized the drugs and the vehicle following the discovery.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 22-year-old driver, a U.S. citizen, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations to face charges connected to the alleged failed smuggling attempt. No further details about the driver were immediately provided.
Officers found seven bundles of cocaine stuffed inside the four wheels of cheese, officials said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
"Smugglers will sometimes try to conceal contraband in items that appear innocent to deflect suspicion," said CBP Presidio Port Director Daniel Mercado. "The thorough and extensive inspections performed by CBP officers stopped this unusual drug load from reaching its intended destination."
‘COCAINE SHARKS’ MAY BE FEASTING ON BALES OF DRUGS OFF FLORIDA'S COAST
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Drug smugglers have been caught attempting to conceal narcotics from authorities at the border in unusual places, such as hidden compartments inside vehicles and gas tanks.
Last year, border officials in Texas made what was its largest cocaine bust in 20 years after discovering $12 million worth of the illicit drugs inside a shipment of baby wipes.
In this picture from August 2022, 1,532.65 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $11,818,400, is seized from inside a shipment of baby wipes. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}So far during the 2023 Fiscal Year, CBP has seized over 65,000 pounds of cocaine, according to statistics provided by the agency.