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  4. Philadelphia CBP Officers Discover Nearly $400k Cocaine Load on a Flight from Jamaica

Philadelphia CBP Officers Discover Nearly $400k Cocaine Load on a Flight from Jamaica

Release Date
Tue, 05/09/2023

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized over 12 pounds of cocaine on a flight from Jamaica on Thursday at Philadelphia International Airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 12 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of about $400,000, on a flight that arrived from Montego Bay, Jamaica on May 4, 2023, at Philadelphia International Airport.
Officers discovered the cocaine concealed behind a cargo hold blowout panel.

CBP officers routinely examine aircraft spaces after flights arrive from overseas locations. During a search of the Montego Bay flight, officers discovered a draw-string bag adorned with the face of reggae legend Bob Marley concealed behind a cargo hold blowout panel. From that bag, officers extracted five bricks of a white, powdery substance. Officers tested the substance with a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified it as cocaine hydrochloride.

The cocaine weighed 5.56 kilograms, or 12 pounds, four ounces, and has a street value of about $400,000.

No arrests have been made. The cocaine was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia, for further criminal investigation by the Border Enforcement Security Task Force that operates at the Philadelphia International Airport.

“Customs and Border Protection officers conduct aircraft hold inspections of international flights every day, so this cocaine seizure is both rewarding and concerning for us,” said Rene Ortega, Acting Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia. “It validates that transnational criminal organizations may be focusing on importing narcotics through Philadelphia again, and it is further proof that our continued diligence is essential and necessary to help protect our communities.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 12 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of about $400,000, on a flight that arrived from Montego Bay, Jamaica on May 4, 2023, at Philadelphia International Airport.
The cocaine weighed more than 12 pounds and had a street value of about $400,000.

CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,895 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at our nation’s air, land and sea ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2022.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.

Last Modified: May 09, 2023