U.S. Customs and Border Protection just put three very different smuggling schemes on the scoreboard — and all three lost.

In a rapid series of official reports, CBP detailed two major narcotics interceptions in Texas and a separate counterfeit-merchandise seizure in Houston. The cases involved a commercial truck, a shipment of leeks and 75 fake Kansas City Chiefs championship rings.

That is an extraordinary cross-section of what officers are finding at America’s ports of entry.

First came the cocaine case. In a November 6 update, CBP said Texas officers referred a commercial truck for further inspection earlier in the week.

A scan and a K-9 examination uncovered 20 hidden packages containing 46 pounds of cocaine.

ADVERTISEMENT

The agency valued the narcotics at more than $275,000. CBP also said the driver, identified only as a Mexican national, was found inadmissible and returned to Mexico.

Here is CBP’s report and its photographic evidence from the seizure:

That first case shows why layered inspection matters. The truck was not waved through after one look.

Officers used the referral process, imaging technology and a trained canine to locate packages that smugglers had tried to keep out of sight.

Then came an even larger drug load — hidden inside produce.

According to a separate November 5 report from CBP, Texas officers discovered cylindrical packages concealed among a shipment of leeks. A K-9 alert led them to more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine.

CBP placed the estimated value of that meth load at nearly $1 million.

The agency summed up the concealment method with a memorable line: “No leaks, just leeks.” But behind the wordplay was a massive quantity of a destructive drug that did not make it past the inspection line.

Take a look at the packages officers pulled from the produce shipment:

ADVERTISEMENT

Two drug cases, two K-9 alerts and two loads that never reached their intended destination.

But CBP’s third reported win did not involve narcotics at all. It involved the multibillion-dollar counterfeit trade — and some very flashy fakes.

In a Houston enforcement update, CBP said officers detained a shipment containing 75 counterfeit Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rings. The agency’s Trade Enforcement Team examined the merchandise and confirmed that it violated intellectual-property rights.

CBP estimated that authentic versions of those rings would be worth more than $750,000.

The photos make clear why officials took a closer look. The imitation rings were designed to appear lavish and collectible, complete with team branding and championship references.

Here is the official account of that interception:

Taken together, these cases are a reminder that border enforcement is not one narrow job. Officers are looking for dangerous drugs, fraudulent merchandise and concealed contraband moving through legitimate channels.

And the tools were just as varied as the threats: scanners, trained K-9 teams and trade-enforcement specialists all played a role.

Smugglers used a truck. They used vegetables.

ADVERTISEMENT

Counterfeiters used the prestige of a championship franchise.

CBP stopped all three.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.