Customs Intercept $2.8 Million Of Cocaine-Coated Corn Flakes

U.S. Customs and Border Protection have intercepted $2,822,400 (£2,013,842) worth of cocaine-coated cornflakes.

Officers in Cincinnati uncovered the 44lb shipment last Saturday (13 February), after it arrived from Peru.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The cereal was headed for a private address in Hong Kong, but on closer inspection officers noticed that the corn flakes were coated with a greyish substance.

Officers tested the flakes and found they contained cocaine.

Cincinnati port director Richard Gillespie said: "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 is a relatively small haul though compared to a seizure in the UK earlier this month.

Police seized a whopping 2.3 tonnes of cocaine estimated to be worth around £184 million ($258 million), which smugglers brought into the country in a banana shipment from Colombia.

Armed police raided an industrial estate in Tottenham, London, on Thursday (18 February) and found 41 pallets stacked with boxes of bananas.

Ten men aged between 21 and 56 were arrested.

The haul is believed to be the largest ever seizure in the UK and was found following a joint investigation between the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency (NCA).

National Crime Agency

The cocaine had already been removed by Border Force officers at Portsmouth International Port the Sunday before.

The cocaine had arrived on a cargo ship from Colombia and was 'masquerading as a legitimate consignment of bananas'.

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.

"We work closely with domestic and international partners to target those at the top of the chain and ensure that transnational drug networks are met with a global response.

"Border Force is a key partner and were vital in preventing these drugs from being successfully trafficked into the country."

Detective superintendent Simon Moring from the Metropolitan Police added: "This operation is a great example of partnership working between the Met, NCA and Border Force, which resulted in one of the UK's biggest ever seizures of cocaine - around 2.3 tonnes.

"This significant seizure means that these dangerous drugs cannot reach the streets of London and beyond, where they have the potential to cause great harm to people and communities.

"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."

Topics: US News, Cocaine, crime, Drugs

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey