Officials at the US-Mexico border discovered a massive shipment of cocaine disguised as baby wipes.
US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents seized the shipment on Friday as a driver was attempting to cross the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Texas.
The bridge spans the Rio Grande River, connecting Laredo to the Mexican town of Colombia, Nueva Leon.
The truck was flagged for a secondary inspection after it was discovered driving with a cargo manifest from 2016, CBP said on Monday.
After CBP canines inspected the cargo, they discovered the drugs hidden inside packages of baby wipes.
A total of 1,935 packages were found containing 1,532.6 pounds of cocaine.
‘Officers assigned to CBP cargo facilities ensure effective border security by preventing and countering the flow of suspected narcotics entering the country,’ Port Director Alberto Flores stated. ‘This seizure is a prime example of border security management and how it helps prevent dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.’
The shipment is still under investigation by authorities from the Department of Homeland Security.
This was far from the only narcotics smuggling attempt foiled in the last few days.
Officers in El Paso stopped four different smuggling attempts over the weekend at the Paso El Norte, Ysleta, and Santa Teresa ports of entry. The smugglers were carrying a variety of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamines.
At the Brownsville-Matamoros International Bridge, officers stopped a driver carrying almost 10 pounds of cocaine in multiple packages. The street value for the drugs was estimated at about $71,400.
CBP’s Air and Marine division reported on Friday that it has seized over 77 tons of narcotics in fiscal year 2022 so far, including 4,998 pounds of cocaine.
CBP has also been in the news lately due to the increase in dangerous border crossing attempts by migrants.
On Monday, CBP officers rescued a four-month-old and a toddler that were left abandoned in the Arizona desert.
In June, 53 migrants were found dead in a tractor-trailer in what is being called the single deadliest attempt to cross the US-Mexico border in history.
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