Agents Find 240 Pounds of Cocaine on Staten Island Barge

Smugglers hid the drugs on a cargo barge filled with Mexican beer

Federal customs and border agents in New York say they're trying to identify drug smugglers who hid 240 pounds of cocaine on a cargo barge filled with Mexican beer.

The load of drugs was discovered in early January during a routine inspection of the barge when it made a stop at a terminal on Staten Island.

Agents found 100 bricks of the drug, worth an estimated $5 million, hidden among cases of beer being shipped to Canada.
 
Officials revealed the seizure for the first time on Thursday.
 
Investigators haven't made any arrests yet, but Robert Perez, the director of New York operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, says he's glad to have the drugs off the street.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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