More Than 19 Pounds Of Cocaine Found On Plane In Philly Airport

PHILADELPHIA, PA — More than 19 pounds of cocaine were seized from the cargo hold of a flight to Philadelphia from Jamaica on Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced.

The drugs were discovered during a routine sweep of the aircraft’s cargo hold after the flight landed from Montego Bay at about 6 p.m.

No arrests were made.

“Narcotics interdiction remains a CBP enforcement priority, and a mission that we take very seriously. We are pleased that these dangerous drugs will not reach our city’s streets,” said Susan Stranieri, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia, in a prepared statement. “CBP remains vigilant at our nation’s borders, and we’ll continue to do our part to help keep our communities safe.”

During their sweep, officers found the drugs in two drawstring-style backpacks that were hidden behind an access panel.

The cocaine weighed about 19 pounds, 9 ounces with a street value of $600,000.

“Typical” seizures of narcotics are of amounts for personal usage, Border Patrol said.

As recently as June, however, there was a significant seizure of cocaine in Philadelphia International Airport. Fabio Dalloco, 45, an Italian, was arrested for smuggling 14 pounds of cocaine into the United States.

On average, about 10,327 pounds of drugs are seized every day by Customs and Border Protection, they said.

An investigation into Saturday’s incident is ongoing.