Nearly 2,000 packages of baby wipes were seized in Laredo, Texas, after federal officers discovered narcotics hidden inside, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.
The Friday seizure happened at the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge, which runs over the border between the U.S. and Mexico and is a surveillance point for border patrol agents stationed in Laredo. According to the bureau, officers found more than 1,500 pounds of suspected cocaine inside a truck, purportedly carrying a large shipment of baby wipes, when the vehicle was referred for inspection as it entered Laredo.
A “non-intrusive” examination involving drug dogs revealed that 1,935 packages inside the 2016 Stoughton trailer actually contained almost as many pounds of narcotics. Officials estimated that the shipment’s street value totaled more than $11.8 million.
“Officers assigned to CBP cargo facilities ensure effective border security by preventing and countering the flow of suspected narcotics entering the country,” said Alberto Flores, the port director in Laredo, in a statement published with CBP’s news release. “This seizure is a prime example of border security management and how it helps prevent dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.”