STERLING, Va. — Criminals busted at Washington Dulles International Airport gave new meaning to the phrase "cocoa powder." Customs and Border Protection officers recently found more than 28 pounds of cocaine hidden inside packages of hot chocolate.
CBP officers made the discovery last month. They found 10 bricks of cocaine between layers of coffee grounds and under a double layer of chocolate bars in hot chocolate packages. The combined weight of 10 bricks was about 12.88 kilograms, or 28 pounds and six ounces. Investigators that the drugs have a street value of about $900,000. It was headed for an address in Northern Virginia.
CBP seized the cocaine and initially detained the courier, however authorities released the courier because they were unable to to directly connect the courier to the drugs. The courier departed to Guatemala.
“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 the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
CBP seized an average of 2,339 pounds of drugs last year.