Customs and Border Protection officers at the Presidio Port of Entry seized cheese wheels containing nearly 18 pounds of cocaine on Thursday.
CBP said in a press release that they found the cheese stash after a pickup truck arriving from Mexico was pulled over for a secondary inspection.
During the inspection, officers found four wheels of cheese that the driver had declared.
The cheese wheels were examined and scanned in an X-ray system, revealing “anomalies.”
CBP said that “officers cut open the cheese and discovered bundles filled with cocaine. Seven bundles with a combined weight of 17.8 pounds of cocaine were retrieved from the cheese wheels.”
“Smugglers will sometimes try to conceal contraband in items that appear innocent to deflect suspicion,” said CBP Presidio Port Director Daniel Mercado. “The thorough and extensive inspections performed by CBP officers stopped this unusual drug load from reaching its intended destination.”
CBP seized the drugs and vehicle.
The driver was a 22-year-old American citizen. They have been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations to face charges connected to the failed smuggling attempt, but their identity was not released.
