LEWISTON, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently found a shipment of cocaine worth more than $6 million.
CBP said its 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 that 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 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.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
