Police bust uncovers cocaine hidden in produce shipment

The investigation is being conducted by the Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration. So what better time for the Department of Homeland Security to unveil a recent seizure: About 383 pounds of cocaine, found at the Port of Philadelphia.

The container of fruit arrived aboard a ship from Costa Rica bound for a distributor in the Bronx, New York.

John Kelleghan is with Homeland Security. Field agents inspected the shipment and eventually found the drugs in the shipment.

It is CBP’s eighth largest cocaine seizure in the Port of Philadelphia.

No one has been arrested for the illegal shipment and Kellegan made a point to say there’s no reason to believe the drugs are connected to Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Philadelphia this weekend.

The agency says this is the eight largest shipment snagged in Philadelphia.

An investigation is continuing. “The only way to find it is to actually physically examine and pull out every piece of vegetable and actually locate the narcotics”, said Paul Nardella, Assistant Port Director.

Customs and Border Protection says that on a typical day, its officers seize 10,327 pounds of drugs at and between the nation’s 328 ports of entry.