2,133 pounds of cocaine was seized on October 29, 2019 in Savannah, GA.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detected an anomaly during a non-intrusive examination of a shipping container aboard a vessel that docked in a Savannah port from South America. When officers opened the container, they discovered 21 duffel bags that contained a combined 818 bricks of a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.
The cocaine weighed a combined 967 kilograms, or 2,133 pounds, and has a street value of about $31 million.
Authorities made no arrests. Homeland Security Investigations continue to investigate.
The container was being shipped from South America to Europe. The contents were manifested as aluminum/copper waste and scrap. As with all narcotics seizures, an investigation will attempt to learn when and where the cocaine was concealed inside the containers and where the load was destined.
Tuesday’s seizure is U.S. Customs and Border Protections largest cocaine seizure at the Port of Savannah.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety, security and economic vitality.
On average, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 4,657 pounds of narcotics every day last year across the United States.
