LONG BEACH: 424lbs of cocaine with a street value of around US$8 million has been detected within a shipment of tyres by the US Customs and Border Protection at the Port of Long Beach, according to the Press Telegram.
The global cocaine market is estimated to be a massive $1.8 trillion and ports are a key gateway which criminals utilise to smuggle drugs into countries.
PTI recently reported how a dockworker in Port Metro Vancouver was complicit in the smuggling of drugs. The dockworker responsible was given a 22 year jail-sentence for his crimes.
The bust will come as welcome news to the Port of Long Beach in its efforts to tighten security at its port.
Although US$8 million is a heady figure, it is dwarfed by the magnitude of a recent $1 billion bust by the US Coastguard – the largest in US history.
Officers detected the cocaine at Long Beach by using scanning technology and spotting an anomaly within a container.
“Without any doubt, this is one of the most significant narcotics interceptions in recent years at our nation’s largest seaport,” said Carlos Martel, Customs Port Director for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
US Customs Officers have been utilising X-ray and gamma ray scanning technology to inspect shipping containers for several years after the September, 11 attacks in 2001.
The technology scans for weaponry, explosives and narcotics.
