An attempt to smuggle cocaine by hiding it in a round cheese block was caught at the Texas border.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the 23rd, customs officers in Presidio, Texas, found and seized 17.8 pounds (about 8 kg) of cocaine hidden in four large chunks of cheese on the 20th.
The man who attempted to smuggle cheese arrived at border customs from Mexico into the United States with a load of cheese in a pick-up truck. CBP agents scanned the block of cheese with an X-ray system, revealing signs of anomaly, and when agents cut the cheese open, seven pouches full of cocaine were found inside.
The driver, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, was handed over to the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Investigation for attempted drug smuggling. “Smugglers sometimes hide contraband in harmless-looking items to avoid suspicion,” said CBP Presidio Customs Commissioner Daniel Mercado. Previously, El Paso, Texas customs seized 146 pounds (66 kg) of cocaine hidden on the inside wall of an ice cream maker last month.
CBP said drug seizures in June, including cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana, increased by 7% from the previous month (May). In particular, the amount of fentanyl seized this year totalled 22,000 pounds (9,979 kg), a nearly threefold increase compared to the same period last year (8,300 pounds).