Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Contact 90.5 WESA with a story idea or news tip: news@wesa.fm

450 Cocaine Bricks Worth $38M Found At Philadelphia Port

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
/
AP
In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal customs shows cocaine that officials found in Philadelphia that was hidden inside bedroom furniture and kitchen cabinets that were shipped from Puerto Rico.

U.S. customs officials say drug dogs have sniffed out Philadelphia's largest seizure of cocaine in more than two decades inside a shipping container.

Local, state and federal law enforcement officials said Thursday that 450 bricks of cocaine were found inside 13 duffel bags. Customs and Border Protection's Area Port Director for Philadelphia Joseph Martella says investigators on Tuesday seized more than 1,185 pounds (538 kilograms) of cocaine worth more than $38 million inside the bags sitting on top of containers of liquid rubber.

Martella says the ship was ported in Guatemala before stopping in the Bahamas and was destined for the Netherlands. He says it wasn't clear where the cocaine was headed or where it was added to the shipment.

It was Philadelphia's largest seizure since 1998.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.