1 week Ago By Gaurav Joshi
Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) foiled a cocaine smuggling plan after they seized the substance hidden inside packages of hot chocolate. Customs officials at airports around the world are always vigilant about what is being passed through the country’s borders and come across a range of items, from illegal gold to exotic animals for the black market. Cocaine seized at Washington Dulles Airport The Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport has released a statement detailing a recent attempt of someone trying to smuggle cocaine into the United States by hiding the substance inside packages of hot chocolate on October 5.
Over 28 pounds of cocaine was hidden inside 10 packages of hot chocolate beverage base that arrived from Guatemala. The discovery was made while the food shipment was being examined, and the courier was detained as well. However, there was a lack of evidence that linked the courier to the shipment directly, and he was released.
However, his visa was canceled, and he was deported immediately. The cocaine was hidden “between layers of coffee grounds and under a double layer of chocolate bars in hot chocolate packages.” According to the officials, it has a street value of $900,000.
Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
, commented, “Drug trafficking organizations continue trying to smuggle their illicit narcotics into the United States, but vigilant Customs and Border Protection officers are relentless in their efforts to intercept these smuggling attempts and to protect our communities from the scourge of dangerous drugs.” Not uncommon Narcotics smuggling attempts are not uncommon at major airports. On October 27, US Customs and Border Protection officers found two pounds of heroin hidden in a courier shipment.
A woman named Maria Jose Recinos Rodriguez, 31, who had arrived from Guatemala City, was arrested in connection with the case. Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying. In September, a former American Airlines mechanic was sentenced to nine years in prison in connection to a case in which he was found smuggling cocaine beneath the cockpit of an American flight from Jamaica to New York in February 2020.
In June this year, it was reported that Brussels Airport seized a staggering 400 kg of cocaine over a week in two separate TUI Fly Belgium flights. Belgian Customs told Simple Flying that eight suitcases containing cocaine from a flight from Cancún in Mexico and four suitcases containing cocaine from a flight from Montego Bay in Jamaica were intercepted. The total weight of the cocaine seized was 400kg.
Not just cocaine Of course, it's not just narcotics that border forces have to be vigilant about. In India, for example, gold is often smuggled in huge quantities, and smugglers often go out of their way to find newer ways to fool the authorities. In 2023, a passenger replaced some parts of a pasta-making machine with gold rods as he tried to sneak out of Bengaluru Airport with the precious metal.
Exotic animals are also seized by border security officials across major airports. Last year, customs officials at Chennai Airport in South India found 22 live snakes with a passenger who had arrived from Malaysia. In December 2023, it was reported that a man was attempting to smuggle two otters and a prairie dog in his underwear while traveling from Bangkok to Taipei.
He was caught by officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The traveler was taken into custody..
