Customs agents seize $9m worth of cocaine from coffee container

Customs agents seize $9m worth of cocaine from coffee container
13th July 2009

In the biggest such find at the Port of New Orleans in 10 years, Customs agents in early July seized almost half a tonne of cocaine hidden in a container of coffee.

US Customs and Border Protection officers using a gamma-ray scanner identified some square shaped objects on top of the rounded coffee bags in the suspect container, and a subsequent physical search uncovered 15 duffel bags containing 450 kg of cocaine, a Customs officer said.

The container, transported on the vessel MSC Luisa, was filled with Colombian coffee and was loaded at the port of Cristobal, Panama, according to US Customs.

The street value of the seized cocaine was thought to be about $9m (€6.5m). No arrests were made at the time of the seizure, US Customs added, but other agencies are now investigating.