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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Texas seized 146 pounds of cocaine this week found hidden in unexpected cargo − an ice cream machine.
According to the federal agency, officers at the Bridge of the America’s cargo facility in El Paso discovered the drugs in a large commercial ice cream maker being shipped from Mexico to the United States.
“The vast majority of commercial shipments CBP officers process pose little risk however seizures like this remind us all that drugs can be concealed almost anywhere and that we must remain constantly vigilant,” the agency’s acting El Paso port director Luis Mejia said in a statement released Thursday.
The estimated street value of the cocaine is valued at $1.2 million, Roger Maier, a spokesperson for the agency told USA TODAY Friday.
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A Ford 150 pickup truck and a port stop
According to a press release from the agency, the interception took place Monday when a 1995 Ford F-150 pickup truck hauling the ice cream machine pulled into the facility’s port. An X-ray scan of the machine “revealed anomalies,” the agency wrote, and drug detection dogs pointed officers to 56 bundles of cocaine hidden in the walls of the ice cream maker.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle and the driver − identified as a 43-year-old man from Mexico − was turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Authorities did not name the man, but said he faces state charges in connection to the failed smuggling attempt.
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Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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