Drug smugglers are taking advantage of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Emergency supplies are being rushed to areas all around the world, and smugglers are now concealing drugs inside some of those supplies.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted four pounds of marijuana hidden inside a shipment of disinfectant products bound for a doctor in Barbados. CBP agents in Cincinnati inspected the shipment arriving from Canada on May 6, 2020. According to a CBP press release, the officers decided to inspect the package following a canine alert, x-ray anomalies and experience that all indicated the parcel to be suspicious. Upon further inspection, the officers found the disinfectants and cleaning supplies, as well as four pounds of marijuana.
"The dedication and vigilance of our officers at our express consignment facilities continues to prevent a substantial amount of drugs from reaching their destination," Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie said in a statement. "This is another excellent example of what U.S. Customs and Border Protection does each and every day."
On a typical day in 2019, CBP officers seized an average of 3,707 pounds of illicit narcotics throughout the U.S. CBP published statistics, showing the average numbers of illegal drugs, unreported currency, counterfeit goods, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other harmful items the agency intercepted each day in 2019.
