Cocaine Worth $11.8 Million Found Hidden in Mexican Truckload of Baby Wipes at U.S.-Mexico Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have seized a shipment of baby wipes that turned out to be an $11.8 million worth of cocaine at the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to NPR, 1,935 packages of cocaine totaling 1,532 pounds were found hidden in the shipment of baby wipes.

The agency said the estimated street value of the seized cocaine was more than $11.8 million. The shipment was seized Friday at the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge located on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The bridge connects Laredo, Texas over the Rio Grande with Mexico's state of Nuevo León. According to officials, a CBP agent stopped a tractor-trailer claiming only to contain baby wipes.

However, upon the second inspection, a canine was sent in and employed a "non-intrusive" inspection into the trailer. They then uncovered the packages of cocaine.

Alberto Flores, the port director at the Laredo Port of Entry, said officers assigned to CBP cargo facilities had seized the narcotics. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations noted that agents are now investigating the incident.

More Cocaine Seized in Attempted Border Crossing in El Paso, Texas

This latest drug bust along the border came just over a week after 14 pounds of cocaine was seized along the border in El Paso, Texas.

The incident happened last August 17, when a 28-year-old Mexican citizen arriving from Mexico was stopped and inspected. The CBP again used a canine and a non-intrusive inspection (x-ray) and found 14.7 pounds of the illegal drug.

According to CBS News, the suspected smuggler was female and was turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff's office to face charges.

CBP Ysleta Port Director Arnoldo Gomez noted that they used a "layered enforcement approach" when dealing with drug smuggling. It includes CBP expertise, canines, and technology, which the agency hopes to help stem the flow of contraband into the U.S.

Congress Appropriates $700 Million to Improve Technology for U.S.-Mexico Border Inspections

Senator Chris Murphy has said that drugs and guns have indirectly caused thousands of deaths in the state he represents, Connecticut.

Murphy chairs the committee responsible for creating the budget for CBP, and he recently traveled to Mexico and Colombia to discuss border issues with officials from the two countries.

According to the CT Examiner, Murphy discussed the importation of cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S. and the flow of weapons from the U.S. to Mexico.

During a conference last Tuesday, he recently talked about the many ways that the United States could combat these, especially around the border. He said Congress has already appropriated $700 million to improve the technology used to inspect vehicles crossing the border.

Murphy suggested that rather than inspecting each car manually, a new technology that uses x-ray and thermal imaging to scan cars passing through can make stopping drugs crossing over from Mexico even simpler.

He noted that only 10 percent had been spent from the funding so far. He said he wanted to invest an additional $40 million in artificial intelligence.

The senator added that the U.S. must improve relations not just with Mexico but with China as well because while the finished product comes from Mexico, the chemicals used for illegal drugs mainly come from China.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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