CBP seizes over $8m in cocaine at Port Everglades

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. port found over 615 pounds of the illegal narcotic hidden in a container that originated in Cartagena, Colombia.    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized more than 615 pounds of cocaine, valued at an estimated $8.4 million, at Port Everglades, according to a statement from the agency.
   CBP officers at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. port complex found the narcotics hidden inside five duffel bags in a shipping container that originated in Cartagena, Colombia.
   Once the substance tested positive for cocaine, the shipment was turned over to the departments of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), said CBP.
   The agency did not disclose the name of the vessel, its operator, or the beneficial cargo owner(s) involved in the shipment.
   “This is an excellent example of the hard work the men and women of CBP exhibit each and every day,” Port Everglades Port Director Jorge Roig said of the seizure. “Searching thousands of containers is no easy feat but our CBP officers are up for the challenge and we are constantly seeing the results of their hard work.”
   In fiscal year 2014, CBP seized over 3.8 million pounds of illegal narcotics across the United States, including cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy, hashish, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine and steroids.