STERLING, Va. ( DC News Now ) — Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport were surprised to find Cocaine and not Cacao inside packages of hot chocolate on Oct. 5.
While taking a look at a food shipment from a Guatemala courier, CBP officers found 10 bricks of a white powdery substance that was hidden between coffee grounds as well as under chocolate bars inside hot chocolate packages.
Officers tested the substance and determined it was cocaine hydrochloride.
The 10 cocaine bricks weighed 28 pounds and six ounces and had a street value of about $900,000.
35th annual Strathmore Museum Shop Holiday Market opens
Officers initially detained the courier, a man, but ended up releasing him as they weren’t able to connect him to the drugs. They canceled his Visa and sent him back to Guatemala on Wednesday.
“Drug trafficking organizations continue trying to smuggle their illicit narcotics into the United States, but vigilant Customs and Border Protection officers are relentless in their efforts to intercept these smuggling attempts and to protect our communities from the scourge of dangerous drugs,” said Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s area port director for D.C.