The Ohio Customs and Border Protection say they intercepted a shipment of cereal earlier this month (February 13th) with a special frosting – cocaine.
Officers uncovered the 44lb shipment, estimated to be worth $2,822,400 (£2,013,842), after it arrived from Peru.
The shipment was addressed to a private address in Hong Kong. Suspicions were raised after a narcotics detection dog named Bico alerted the officers, who discovered that the corn flakes were covered in a greyish substance.
After testing, the mystery powder came back as cocaine.
Cincinnati port director Richard Gillespie said smugglers will hide narcotics in anything imaginable.
He added: “The men and women at the Port of Cincinnati are committed to stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, and they continue to use their training, intuition, and strategic skills to prevent these kinds of illegitimate shipments from reaching the public.”
This, however, is a relatively small haul compared to shipment that was seized earlier this month (February 18th) in the UK.
Police seized a whopping 2.3 tonnes of cocaine estimated to be worth around £184 million, which smugglers brought into the country through a banana shipment from Columbia.
Police raided an industrial estate in Tottenham (London), and found 41 palettes stacked with crates of bananas. Ten men between the ages of 21 and 56 were arrested.
This is believed to be the UK’s largest ever seizure of class A drugs, after the investigation was launched between the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency.
John Coles, head of specialist operations at the NCA, said: “The NCA is focused on disrupting the organised crime groups posing the most significant risk to the UK, which includes those involved in class A drug supply.
“Illegal drugs are a corrosive threat and those who deal in cocaine are often violent and exploitative. Cocaine supply is directly linked to the use of firearms, knife crime and the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.”
Detective Superintendent Simon Moring from the Metropolitan Police added: “Whilst these operations are complex and resource-intensive, they are vital to disrupt organised criminal networks and to ensure we keep our communities safe.
“We know there is an inextricable link between drugs and violence – that is why tackling the importation and supply of drugs is a crucial part of our work to reduce violent crime in London.”
