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This has been the week for discussions about single use plastics v/s reusable packaging. Hyatt first announced that they’re moving away from using plastic bottles for their toiletries. While everyone on the internet was debating this topic, another news story broke that caught my eye. A man tried smuggling liquid cocaine in shampoo bottles. Thankfully, the CBP intercepted and caught him at the airport.
Cocaine Smuggling
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) caught a man at George Bush Intercontinental Airport as he attempted to smuggle 35 pounds of liquid cocaine. The liquid cocaine was stored in shampoo bottles. When the man checked in bags, he hid the bottles in his checked baggage. CBP officials found something suspicious as the man was retrieving his luggage from the baggage carousel. They pulled him over to ask for more information.
Eventually, CBP officials examined the baggage and found two dozen shampoo bottles amongst the other bottles concealing the liquid cocaine. A final test by a CBP K9 confirmed the existence of the narcotics in the bottles.
As per this report published on the CBP’s website:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport intercepted a traveler attempting to smuggle 35 pounds of liquid cocaine in full-sized shampoo bottles, Nov. 11.
Among his clothing in is checked luggage, the traveler, a Colombian citizen, was carrying 24 bottles of shampoo that contained the illicit liquid narcotic valued at over $400,000.
CBP’s Update
The CBP published information via their Twitter handle about this incident.
CBP then released an official statement about what just happened.
“Our officers are the first line of defense at our ports of entry, so they are trained in the various smuggling methods people use to bring illicit goods into the U.S. We take every opportunity to intercept those illicit goods before they enter our communities, in this case it was 35 pounds of liquid cocaine.” – CBP Port Director Shawn Polley.
The Pundit’s Mantra
At the moment, we don’t know more than the initial few details about the case. CBP returned the man back to Colombia. CBP seized the narcotics and turned the case over to the Houston Police Department for further investigation.
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