CBP Officers Find 28 Pounds of Cocaine Hidden in Chocolate

STERLING, VA – Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted over 28 pounds of cocaine concealed in hot chocolate packages from Guatemala, CBP reported Thursday.

The drugs, valued at nearly $900,000, were found in 10 packages disguised as hot chocolate powder, containing bricks of cocaine hidden beneath coffee grounds and layers of chocolate bars. Officers used a handheld elemental analysis tool to confirm the substance as cocaine hydrochloride.

The cocaine was initially discovered on Oct. 5 in a courier shipment intended for an address in Northern Virginia. The courier was detained but later released when prosecutors couldn’t establish a direct connection to the drugs. CBP processed the courier’s visa for expedited removal, sending him back to Guatemala.

“Drug trafficking organizations continue trying to smuggle their illicit narcotics into the United States, but vigilant CBP officers are relentless in their efforts,” said Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for Washington, D.C.

CBP seized nearly two pounds of heroin in another recent shipment from Guatemala on Oct. 27. On average, CBP seizes over 2,300 pounds of narcotics daily across the nation’s entry points.