What to Know
- More than 100 pounds of cocaine seized at the Port of Wilmington in the second multi-million-dollar seizure at the port in the past week.
- A Wilmington police drug dog alerted authorities to pallets of pineapple cases, which turned out to have cocaine concealed inside.
- The CBP says Wednesday's cocaine shipment has a street value of $3 million.
Authorities at a Delaware port have found a massive cocaine shipment concealed inside pineapple boxes from Costa Rica — for the second time in seven days.
Citing a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol release, The News Journal reports that Wednesday's seizure topped the 99 pounds (45 kilograms) of cocaine found on Aug. 22. The release says the 244 packages of cocaine had "a combined weight of more than 100 pounds."
“This significant narcotics seizure illustrates the importance of learning from experience and the value of collaboration among partners with a shared interest in helping keep our families and our communities safe,” Casey Durst, CBP’s field operations director in Baltimore, said. “Customs and Border Protection and our federal, state, and local partners will remain steadfast in our commitment to intercepting dangerous drugs at our nation’s borders.”
Like last week's bust, a Wilmington police drug dog alerted authorities to pallets of pineapple cases, which turned out to have cocaine concealed inside the corrugated bottoms.
The CBP says Wednesday's shipment has a street value of $3 million. The agency hadn't put a value on last week's smaller shipment, which The News Journal had then valued at $7.6 million.
