Customs officers seize $496K in cocaine in commercial truck hauling cotton candy

LAREDO, Texas — Customs agents at the Texas-Mexico border seized $496 worth of cocaine hidden in a tractor-trailer hauling cotton candy, authorities said.

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According to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo referred the tractor-trailer, which was entering the United States from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, for a secondary inspection on May 9.

The truck was carrying a shipment of cotton candy, the news release stated. After a non-intrusive system examination and the deployment of customs K-9s, officers discovered 15 packages containing 37 pounds of alleged cocaine hidden in the vehicle.

The narcotics had a combined estimated street value of $496,879.

CBP seized the narcotics. Homeland Security Investigations special agents are investigating the seizure.

“Our frontline officers continue to maintain resolute vigilance and that dedication to the mission coupled with an effective use of technology resulted in the interception of a significant amount of cocaine,” Albert Flores, port director for the Laredo Port of Entry, said in a statement. “Seizures like these reinforce the importance and necessity of our ongoing border security mission.”

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