According to Patch, 28 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $900,000 was discovered in a hot chocolate shipment before it arrived at its intended destination in Northern Virginia.
US Customs and Border Protection officers found ten packets of cocaine hidden inside a shipment of hot chocolate mix that arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport from Guatemala.
A CBP release explained:
“CBP officers initially discovered 10 bricks of a white powdery substance concealed between layers of coffee grounds and under a double layer of chocolate bars in hot chocolate packages. Officers tested the white powdery substance using a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified the substance as cocaine hydrochloride.”
US Customs and Border Protection recovered the cocaine, and federal authorities held the courier on October 5, 2024, before releasing him on November 12, 2024, due to investigators’ inability to directly link him to the contraband. However, US Customs and Border Protection cancelled the man’s visa, allowing him to depart Virginia on a flight to Guatemala on Wednesday.
Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s area port director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., stated in a press release:
“Drug trafficking organizations continue trying to smuggle their illicit narcotics into the United States, but vigilant Customs and Border Protection officers are relentless in their efforts to intercept these smuggling attempts and to protect our communities from the scourge of dangerous drugs.”
Last year, CBP officers and agents recovered approximately 2,339 pounds of hazardous substances at US ports of entry.