Over 550 pounds of cocaine seized at Miami Seaport

Agents of the U.S. Customers and Border Protection (CBP) service raided a cargo vessel at the Miami Seaport this week, confiscating $6.25 million worth of cocaine.

The 550 pounds of illegal narcotic were hidden in bags hidden behind metal tubing aboard the vessel. In all, those bags contained 225 packages of white powder–cocaine. It was all uncovered during a cargo inspection. The cocaine was then handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for continued investigation.

“This is one of most significant seizures in the last few years and the latest result of CBP’s multi-layered, risk-based approach to enhance the security of our borders,” Miami Seaport Port Director Jorge Roig said. “CBP plays a critical role in efforts to keep dangerous drugs from reaching local communities across South Florida.”

Such trafficking has proven a major issue along the Miami River. As a result, in recent years CBP and HSI officials have stepped up their efforts in the area, utilizing advanced electronic information to assess ships pre-arrival, canine inspections and non-intrusive devices. In the process, several vessels and thousands of pounds of cocaine have been seized. Throughout the country, CBP law enforcement seized more than 2.14 million pounds of narcotics in 2017 alone.