By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

It’s been a busy week for U.S Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Cincinnati, located in Erlanger, as they have seized 134 pounds of methamphetamine over the last five days, which they say is valued at $1.2 million.

Methamphetamine valued at $1.2 million was seized by U.S. customs over a five-day period.

According to the CBP, the drugs were in nine separate shipments, addressed to people in the United States and Australia.

The officers uncovered the drugs during Operation Overdose, after they x-rayed shipments from Mexico and Canada, and noticed some anomalies which caused them to take a closer look. They found methamphetamine disguised as pastes, powders and liquids, all intermingled with various dietary supplements and oils, which were smuggled in cans of coconut water.

“Our officers are focused on their mission to protect our homeland,” said Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie. “Smugglers constantly try to send illegal drugs into the country, but our officers are there to stop these dangerous narcotics from reaching our citizens.”

The CBP says methamphetamine is a dangerous and highly addictive stimulant, and its abuse can lead to aggression, psychosis, convulsions, stroke and death. Methamphetamine abuse is on the rise in the U.S., as between 2017 and 2019, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s domestic seizures of the drug increased 127 percent, and DEA arrests related to methamphetamine rose nearly 20 percent.

CBP conducts operations at ports of entry throughout the United States, and regularly screens arriving international passengers and cargo for narcotics, weapons and other restricted or prohibited products.

The agency, as part of the Department of Homeland Security, is 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 at the same time enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.