$8M Worth Of Cocaine Found In Tire Shipment At LA-Long Beach Port Complex
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hundreds of pounds of cocaine concealed in a shipment of tires from South America have been seized at the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport complex.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 424 pounds of cocaine worth more than $8 million after examining containers aboard a ship on Aug. 22.
An agency statement Tuesday says the officers used so-called non-intrusive inspection technology that functions like an X-ray and can detect unusual density or shapes.
An anomaly in an inspection image led the officers to open the container, leading to discovery of three large bundles that held a total of 170 individual brick-size packages that tested positive for cocaine.
Customs and Border Protection Port Director Carlos Martel says it's one of the most significant narcotics intercepts at the port complex in years.
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