$650K in Cocaine Seized at Port of Baltimore

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 20 pounds of cocaine in a shipping container at the Baltimore seaport last Wednesday.

The cocaine, eight bricks in a blue backpack, was found in a container of steel parts that arrived aboard the 950-foot container ship Ital Lunare. The container was reportedly shipped from China through Panama to the U.S. It was one of 50 that CBP officers scanned from the M/V Ital Lunare.

The cocaine has a street value of about $650,000. No arrests were made.

Customs and Border Protection officers may scan hundreds of containers without detecting a single anomaly.

“Making this cocaine seizure is both personally rewarding for our officers, and reaffirms our continued vigilance to protect American citizens against things that may do us harm,” said CBP Port Director for the Port of Baltimore Ricardo Scheller  in a press release.

CBP officers turned the cocaine over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

CBP officers at 327 U.S. ports of entry conduct routine inspections on imports and exports to ensure commodities comply with numerous laws and regulations. Previously, that work was labor intensive. Officers had to physically open and devan containers for inspection. High-energy imaging technology allows CBP officers to “see” inside a conveyance and make an immediate decision to release the container or to conduct a more intensive inspection.

The Baltimore Sun noted that several seizures in recent weeks have illustrated how drugs get into the city by air, land and sea:

“•A federal court trial involving a drug deal at an Inner Harbor hotel included testimony from a confessed Mexican cartel associate who described driving millions of dollars worth of cocaine across the country in a motor home.

•A case charged in California alleges that hundreds of pounds of cocaine were being regularly shipped into Baltimore via private planes to Martin State Airport in Middle River.

•Along with the seaport seizure this week, several Royal Caribbean employees were arrested in December after drugs were smuggled into Baltimore aboard their cruise ship. Another search of the ship later in the month turned up more drugs.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official port.

“Non-intrusive technology allows CBP officers a quick and clear picture of a conveyance’s contents so that we can expedite release of legitimate commercial goods and detain anomalous containers for a more hands-on inspection,” said Scheller. “Technology allows us to better manage risk and facilitate trade.”