LEWISTON, NEW YORK — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Buffalo’s Lewiston Bridge border crossing seized approximately 450 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $6 million that had been concealed in a modified floor of an empty semi trailer heading to Canada on September 22.
A 21-year-old Canadian man driving the commercial truck and trailer approached the outbound lane when officers conducting a physical inspection noticed modifications to the trailer floor. A CBP canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in the empty trailer. The truck was escorted to secondary inspection where nonintrusive imaging technology revealed anomalies in the floor. A physical search turned up 174 vacuum-sealed packages of suspected cocaine that field-tested positive.
The case was referred to Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo for further investigation.
“This significant seizure highlights the exceptional vigilance, advanced training and relentless dedication of our CBP officers and canine teams at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing,” said Sharon Swiatek, acting port director for the Area Port of Buffalo. “While a large focus of our border security mission is on inbound threats, our officers remain equally sharp during outbound operations to dismantle transborder criminal networks, disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics and protect communities on both sides of the border.”
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