The crew of a privately chartered Jones Act enforcement vessel has met with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to touch base on issues that the vessel and its crew…
CBP
CBP seizes cocaine hidden in watermelons, peppers headed to Canada
A truck driver hauling watermelons and peppers from the U.S. to Canada could face prosecution after border officers discovered nearly 70 pounds of cocaine hidden in her load of produce, authorities said.
The driver, a Canadian citizen, was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outbound operations at the Sweetgrass Port of Entry in Montana, across the border from Coutts, Alberta.
Officers found the cocaine — totaling 69.5 pounds — inside the trailer, concealed in the...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cbp-seizes-cocaine-hidden-in-watermelons-peppers-headed-to-canada
Audit recommends enhancements for DHS air cargo security programs
A new audit by Congress’ investigative arm is recommending two Department of Homeland Security agencies tighten up programs designed to protect against terrorists smuggling concealed explosives into the U.S. through air cargo.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration need to do a better job of sharing trend data on shipments and evaluating new screening technology, respectively, the report said.
The Government Accountability Office recommended that CBP...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/audit-recommends-enhancements-for-dhs-air-cargo-security-programs
CBP invests $46M to upgrade rail cargo inspection technology
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to spend $46 million to upgrade technology to improve rail cargo inspections at 12 points of entry by the Canadian and Mexican borders.
CBP says it will replace aging rail scanner systems with new high-energy rail scanners that can generate high-quality images more quickly and securely. The scanners use linear accelerators to generate X-rays from electricity rather than radioactive isotopes, the agency said.
Installation and testing of the new...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cbp-invests-46m-to-upgrade-rail-cargo-inspection-technology
CBP seizes rare ‘green cocaine’ in Cincinnati
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati prevented hundreds of pounds of green cocaine from being shipped across North America and Australia, authorities said Monday.
Fifty shipments of green powder cocaine were seized over four months, from Oct. 1, 2020, through last Sunday. The total amount of cocaine in all 50 shipments was 433 pounds.
Originating from Peru and Colombia, the shipments were headed to individuals across the U.S., Canada and Australia. Some of the shipments...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cbp-seizes-rare-green-cocaine-in-cincinnati
CBP agents find drugs in shipments of candles, toilet paper, cabinets
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine worth more than $2.8 million in separate incidents in Texas, authorities said.
The largest seizure occurred at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Pharr, Texas, on Friday. Agents detected packages containing alleged fentanyl and cocaine worth $890,000 in a commercial tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico with fresh produce.
Agents working at the World Trade Bridge on Jan. 25 in Laredo,...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/agents-find-drugs-in-shipments-of-candles-toilet-paper-cabinets
CBP seizes $60M in Texas meth busts
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently seized more than 3,038 pounds of methamphetamine in two separate, unrelated cases in South Texas.
Both cases involved tractor-trailers attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at the Laredo port of entry.
The first case occurred Oct. 27 at the port’s Colombia-Solidarity Bridge. CBP officers found 618 packages containing 1,988 pounds of alleged meth inside an empty tractor-trailer from Mexico. The narcotics have an estimated street value of $39.8...
Freight trains remain mode of transport for illegal entry to US
In this year’s best-selling novel “American Dirt,” men, women and children risk injury or death to climb aboard moving freight trains in an attempt to illegally cross into the United States.
U.S. railroads say real-life cases of smuggling or trespassing on freight rail networks near the U.S.-Mexico border continue.
Last Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notified Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) that a group of individuals was attempting to climb a moving train, with some individuals...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/freight-trains-remain-mode-of-transport-for-illegal-entry-to-us
CBP seizes $14 million worth of meth and heroin at Mexico border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized more than $14.7 million worth of drugs in several U.S.-Mexico border incidents.
The first occurred Sept. 11 at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas. CBP officers searching an empty trailer arriving from Mexico discovered 93 pounds of alleged methamphetamine. The meth has an estimated street value of $1.86 million, the CBP said.
The second incident occurred Sept. 12 in Pharr, Texas. Officers at the Pharr-Reynosa International...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/cbp-seizes-14-million-worth-of-meth-and-heroin-at-mexico-border
Commentary: The fabric of withhold release orders
The latest round of withhold release orders (WRO) issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection involves one of the most pervasive soft commodities used in retail: cotton. According to the End Uyghur Forced Labour Coalition, one in five cotton garments sold globally contains fiber or yarn sourced from the Xinjiang region.
But while direct shipments from banned Hefei Bitland to Lenovo and Asus can be easily tracked, it’s the indirect shipments of items containing cotton along the intra-Asia trade...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/commentary-the-fabric-of-withhold-release-orders