Customs and Border Protection seizes $1.3 million in cocaine from Philly flight

Officials reported discovering more than 40 pounds of cocaine

Published: August 22, 2022 12:29pm

Updated: August 22, 2022 2:40pm

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced the seizure of over 40 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $1.3 million, on a flight from the Dominican Republic to Philadelphia International Airport.

No arrests have been made, and the agency is still investigating after officers earlier this month found 16 brick-shaped packages hidden under a blanket in the plane's equipment space, officials said.

Agents probed the bricks and discovered a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine properties.

The cocaine weighed just over 41 pounds and had a street value of roughly $1.3 million, the agency said last week.

Before the plane landed in Philadelphia, it had made stops in New York City, Miami and San Diego, complicating the investigation.

Joseph Martella, director of the agency's Philadelphia operations, called the drugs "community poison" and said trafficking organizations "work very hard" to smuggle dangerous substances into the United States.

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