TOCJ sergeants in Freeport discover cocaine worth 18 million dollars in banana boxes given

FREEPORT, Texas (KTRK) –

Two TDCJ sergeants picking up a banana donation discovered a huge cache of cocaine. This is only one example of the sneaky methods of drug traffickers.

"Their traffic methods are constantly changing," said DEA Special Agent Wendell Campbell.

Campbell shared pictures of heroin hidden in a working car battery, fentanyl concealed in a spare wheel and 14,000 lbs. Marijuana in a shipment of melon.

On Friday, $ 18 million worth of cocaine was stored in ripe banana boxes after a Freeport company offered two pallets to the Scott unit, said Jeremy Desel, spokesman for the Department of Criminal Justice of the United States. Texas.

"One of the sergeants noticed that one of the boxes did not seem very correct, look a little further, remove this box from one of the pallets, look inside and see something extraordinarily distrustful. an investigation, "explained Desel.

There were 45 boxes containing not only bananas but also 540 kilograms of cocaine. The value of the street is estimated at nearly $ 18 million. US Customs and DEA officers responded and seized the drugs.

"It's a very important seizure," said Campbell, who explained that the discoveries are called "hedge charges," illegal drugs hidden in quantities of legitimate goods and used by traffickers to deliver drugs into the country. Agents often enter "hedge charges".

The banana shipment has only happened so far, intercepted by two warning agents, said Desel.

"Our correctional officers and correctional officers are trained to notice things that do not seem right," Desel said. "They are doing their job, not just in our units, but elsewhere, and they have found something good today."

US Customs did not respond to a request for comment. The company that offered the gift also did not comment.

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