28 Pounds Of Cocaine Worth $900K Found Hidden In Hot Chocolate Shipment To VA

DULLES, VA — Officers found 28 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $1 million hidden inside 10 packages of hot chocolate mix as they were inspecting a food shipment at Washington Dulles International Airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the cocaine and federal authorities detained the courier on Oct. 5, who was released on Tuesday, because authorities couldn’t link him directly to the drugs, according to a CBP news release. However, the man's visa was canceled and — following an expedited removal order process — the Guatemalan courier left Virginia on a flight to Guatemala on Wednesday.

“CBP officers initially discovered 10 bricks of a white powdery substance concealed between layers of coffee grounds and under a double layer of chocolate bars in hot chocolate packages,” according to a CBP release. “Officers tested the white powdery substance using a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified the substance as cocaine hydrochloride.”

The 10 bricks of cocaine in total weighed 28 pounds and 6 ounces, and had an estimated street value of $900,000, according to Customs officials.

The shipment of cocaine and hot chocolate was headed to an address in Northern Virginia.

“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., in a news release.

Last year, CBP officers and agents seized about 2,339 pounds of dangerous drugs at U.S. ports of entry.