PUERTO RICO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 44 pounds of cocaine from departing passengers at the Luis Munoz Marine International Airport in Puerto Rico. The passengers were headed to Orlando, according to authorities.
On December 16 and 19, a canine working with CBP officers alerted two pieces of luggage belonging to two different passengers scheduled to head to Orlando.
Officials inspected one luggage and found 12 bricks of a white powdery substance. In the second luggage, they found six other bricks of cocaine.
The substance tested positive to the properties of cocaine.
The estimated value of the seized cocaine was $500,000.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents seized the cocaine and arrested the luggage owners.
“Our officers’ outstanding ability to collaborate with local law enforcement, along with the utilization of all available tools, resulted in the detection of these narcotics, preventing their entrance into our communities,” said Roberto Vaquero, Assistant Director of Field Operations for Border Security in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in a press release.
