146 pounds (66 kilograms) of cocaine were discovered on Monday in an ice cream machine that was being transported from Mexico to the United States by US Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso, Texas.
The federal law enforcement agency announced the incident on its website, where the agency stated that the ice cream machine was hauled on a 1995 Ford F-150 pick-up truck. The discovery was made when CBP officers at the scene further inspected the vehicle. The truck also underwent an X-ray scan which detected the narcotic.
The street value of the cocaine is estimated to be approximately $1.2 million, a CBP spokesperson told USA Today.
The CBP also relied on the assistance of a trained dog to sniff out the drugs, ABC reported.
“Remaining constantly vigilant”
“The vast majority of commercial shipments CBP officers process pose little risk however seizures like this remind us all that drugs can be concealed almost anywhere and that we must remain constantly vigilant,” Luis Mejia said, who is the CBP Director at the El Paso port.
A police officer opens a cocaine hydrochloride package during the seizure of a semi-submersible sea vessel loaded with more than a ton of cocaine hydrochloride in Tumaco, Colombia August 23, 2020 (credit: VIA REUTERS)“The vast majority of commercial shipments CBP officers process pose little risk however seizures like this remind us all that drugs can be concealed almost anywhere and that we must remain constantly vigilant.”
Luis Mejia
CBP officers located a total of 56 bundles of cocaine, which were then seized alongside the vehicle. The driver, a 43-year-old Mexican man, was turned over to Texas DPS officers to face charges regarding the incident.
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