MIAMI - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers seized 8.5 pounds of cocaine from an express consignment carrier at Miami International Airport, declared as “Hoja de Moringa.” The estimated value of the seized contraband is $100,000.00.
“Transnational criminal organizations will stop at nothing to get illicit contraband into our country, and we must stay one step ahead of them to deter their activities.” said Christopher D. Maston, CBP Port Director, Miami International Airport. “Our officers are dedicated to keeping drugs and other paraphernalia out of our country and out of our communities.”
During the inspection of inbound consignment packages arriving from Colombia that were destined for Florida, CBP officers detected packages of moringa containing an unknown green powder and black tar like substance.
The packages were seized on April 22, after results from a CBP lab determined the powder material inside tested positive to the properties of cocaine.
Moringa is a plant that is native to areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. It is also grown in the tropics and is considered an important food source in some parts of the world.
CBP’s mission is to safeguard America’s borders thereby protecting the public from dangerous people and materials while enhancing the Nation’s global economic competitiveness by enabling legitimate trade and travel.
CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo, and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. CBP seized an average of 3,707 pounds of dangerous drugs every day across the United States last year. Learn more about what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2019.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders, or by visiting CBP.gov.