CBP officers seize approximately 450 pounds of cocaine worth $6 million from commercial truck bound for Canada

Submitted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Buffalo’s Lewiston Bridge border crossing intercepted a commercial truck containing cocaine that was headed to Canada during an outbound operation.

On Sept. 22, CBP officers working in the outbound lane encountered a 21-year-old Canadian man driving a commercial truck and trailer. An initial physical inspection of the trailer revealed modifications to the floor. A CBP canine searched the empty trailer and alerted to the presence of narcotics. The truck and trailer were escorted to secondary inspection.

During secondary inspection, CBP officers conducted a nonintrusive inspection, which revealed anomalies in the floor of the trailer. A follow-up search of the floor revealed 174 vacuum-sealed packages of suspected cocaine, which field-tested positive. The cocaine had an approximate weight of about 450 pounds, and an estimated street value of about $6 million. This matter has been referred to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo for investigational review.

“This significant seizure highlights the exceptional vigilance, advanced training and relentless dedication of our CBP officers and canine teams at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing,” said Sharon Swiatek, acting port director for the Area Port of Buffalo. “While a large focus of our border security mission is on inbound threats, our officers remain equally sharp during outbound operations to dismantle transborder criminal networks, disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics and protect communities on both sides of the border.”

CBP's border security mission is led at this nation’s ports of entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the office of field operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo, both inbound and outbound, and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and this nation’s safety and economic. For more, visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.