An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Liquid Cocaine Found Inside Shampoo Bottles Seized by CBP Puerto Rico

Liquid Cocaine Found Inside Shampoo Bottles Seized by CBP Puerto Rico

Release Date
Mon, 03/05/2018

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found 9 pounds (4.25 kilos) of liquid cocaine concealed inside a loose cargo consignment of shampoo bottles. The estimated value of the seized narcotics is $106,250.

“Narcotics smugglers try conceal their illegal items within legally imported shipments,” stated Edwin Cruz, San Juan Area Port Director. “CBP officers are well trained to search and find irregularities that might be used to elude detection.”

9 shampoo bottles had liquid cocaine inside.
9 shampoo bottles had liquid cocaine
inside. 

​On Feb. 28, CBP Officers conducting vehicle and cargo inspection operations of the M/V Kydon, arriving from Dominican Republic selected loose cargo for secondary inspection.

A CBP K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics within a package of hair shampoo bottles. A sample of the liquid reacted positive to the properties of cocaine.

The custody of the seized liquid cocaine was transferred to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI ) for investigation.

CBP uses sophisticated methods to identify and target potentially high-risk passengers and cargo, including advanced electronic information about every passenger and cargo shipment entering into the U.S. before their arrival, canine inspections and non-intrusive devices.

CBP Office of Field Operations’ dual mission is to facilitate travel in the United States while we secure our borders, our people and our visitors from those that would do us harm like terrorists and terrorist weapons, criminals, and contraband.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021