August 22, 2008 CBP
Louisville KY - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Louisville International Airport UPS facility seized nearly eight ounces of cocaine concealed inside the frame of children's bicycle.
Officers performing pre-arrival manifest review at the UPS hub in Louisville selected a shipment described as "Bicicleta Zapatos" for intensive exam. The shipment was arriving from Venezuela and destined to Guinea.
When the package arrived in the CBP examination area, a CBP officer opened the package which contained a child's red bicycle, shoes and other toys.
All items in the shipment were x-rayed by CBP revealing a dense substance inside the red bicycle frame. CBP officers disassembled the bicycle by cutting the frame which revealed seven bundles wrapped in green tape, the bundles contained a white powder substance that subsequently field tested positive for cocaine.
"This is a great example of how Customs and Border Protection, field operations officers are skillful at discovering contraband or illegal goods that people attempt to smuggle into the United States," said CBP Director of Field Operations David J. Murphy. "CBP is vigilant and on the constant lookout to prevent illegal contraband from entering this country."
Customs and Border Protection officers are stationed at express consignment facilities throughout the United States, like the UPS Express Consignment Operation in Louisville, Ky. CBP duties at these facilities are to process, examine and release all of the parcels that arrive from a foreign point of origin. All shipments are processed through a radiation portal to ensure that radioactive materials do not enter this country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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