America’s War on Drugs has led the nation to dedicate relentless resources and time to keeping substances off the streets. While it seems like marijuana may soon become one of the drugs excluded from the list of drugs the Drug Enforcement Administration goes after, cocaine, and many others, remain on the list.
In Florida, over 69 pounds of cocaine enclosed in garbage bags were discovered on a cruise ship and seized by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Discovered by the ship’s security team, the cocaine bricks were found in a cargo area on the cruise liner. They were then seized by the cruise’s security officers and given to Customs patrol stationed at the Port Everglades seaport when the ship socked there for maintenance last week.
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According to cocaine price estimates provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the 69.5 pounds of cocaine discovered could be worth over $5 million based on the drug’s street price. Customs patrol furthered that they did a more thorough sweep of the ship afterward and did not discover any more contraband.
“This seizure is indicative of the excellent collaboration CBP has with our industry partners to detect and interdict illegal drugs being smuggled into our nation,” said Dylan DeFrancisci, the CBP’s port director of field operations for the area the drugs were found.
“Our officers strive daily to develop and enhance our partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, industry partners, and the citizens of our community to stop criminal activity at our borders, be it land, air, or sea,” DeFrancisci added.
A spokesman from the agency also told publications that the cruise ship is operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises. Right now, there’s no word yet on who the shipments belonged to or if any arrests have been made in connection to it. In other large-scale drug trafficking news, however, El Chapo’s wife Emma Coronel Aispuro recently pleaded guilty to helping her husband run the Sinaloa cartel.
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