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46 pounds of cocaine found hidden in shipment of oranges in Florida

Posted at 2:52 PM, Oct 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-17 16:52:14-04

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Customs officials in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, found more than fruit inside a shipment from the Caribbean this past weekend.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officers working at Port Everglades seized about 46.5 pounds of cocaine that was concealed within boxes of oranges arriving from the Dominican Republic.

The estimated street value of the drugs is hundreds of thousands of dollars, officials said.

CBP officers with the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team said they detected anomalies while examining a container.

A K-9 also alerted them to the presence of illegal drugs, and officers then discovered the cocaine within multiple boxes.

CBP said the cocaine was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security.

This story was originally published by Scott Sutton on WPTV.