Cincinnati – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Cincinnati DHL express consignment facility have increased seizures of illegal drugs by more than 50 percent over last year. As the volume of international parcels steadily expands at DHL, CBP officers are finding and intercepting more drugs hidden in shipments using a variety of law enforcement tools especially designed for use in express consignment locations.
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“Drug smugglers are very adaptable and resourceful in developing ever changing techniques used to conceal and smuggle their illicit contraband into this country,” said David Murphy, CBP Chicago Director Office of Field Operations. “Our officers have honed their specials skills utilizing officer experience and training to combat, detect and identify these ingenious and specialized smuggling attempts in the express carrier environment. Complimenting these efforts are our ever faithful and effective detector dogs whose keen nose and instincts ferret out these harmful shipments of contraband no matter how they are disguised.”
So far this fiscal year, CBP officers have made 556 seizures of narcotics at this facility which is the largest DHL hub of its kind in the country. Officers are up all night using CBP systems, X-ray machines, radiation technology, and drug detector canine teams to examine and process all incoming freight. The total combined weight of the seizures was more than 6,300 pounds.
Cleverly concealed illegal caches of cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, hashish, heroin, khat, marijuana and opium have been found and intercepted by CBP officers from within shipments of infant beds, face cream, mattresses, books, picture frames, furniture, children’s toys, computer parts, gaming chairs, machine parts, plastic parts, shin guards, purses, dresses, woodchips, shoes, boards, wicker baskets, and spools of yarn. Since the start of the new fiscal year in October 2010, the volume of express parcels at this facility has increased by 19 percent. Drug seizures for the same period last year totaled 365, with a combined weight of 2,835 lbs.
All international packages and cargo shipped through express consignment environments are examined by CBP. There are 25 express consignment carrier facilities located throughout the nation where CBP officers process millions of inbound and outbound parcels overnight. CBP agriculture specialists also work at these facilities and intercept thousands of actionable pests to protect the health and safety of U.S. agricultural resources.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of U.S. borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
