147 Pounds of Cocaine Seized at Port of Baltimore: Officials

The Port of Baltimore received a large shipment of cocaine recently, marking the largest seizure in recent years, according to federal officials.

Three duffel bags containing a total of 147 pounds of cocaine were found in shipping containers, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations reported Friday.

The shipment from Brazil came in to Baltimore on Aug. 4, according to officials, who said that routine inspection of a commercial shipment of lumber uncovered anomalies.

Inspectors found that two gym bags inside the container contained 57 bricks of a white, powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, officials reported.

The estimated street value of the drugs found this month was $4 million, the report said.

This was the largest seizure of cocaine at the Port of Baltimore since 2007, when officers found 310 pounds of cocaine in three gym bags that had been shipped in a container from Ecuador, according to the report.

Finding narcotics “remains a top Customs and Border Protection [CBP] enforcement priority, and this case illustrates how CBP officers leverage non-intrusive imaging technologies to intercept dangerous drugs and to help keep our communities safe,” Dianna Bowman, CBP Area Port Director for the Port of Baltimore, said in a statement.

The technology used at the port includes x-ray machines and handheld screening devices, according to the statement.

Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection.