4.3 tons of narcotics, over $105M of fake goods seized at Cincinnati port in 2022

>> PHOTOS: 4.3 tons of narcotics, over $105M of fake goods seized at Cincinnati port in 2022

One of the notable seizures from the year was when officers stopped a shipment of phones cases in March after noticing “an unusual crystalline texture that left a white residue on their gloves during inspection,” the spokesperson said. Testing showed that the phone cases were made of methamphetamine. The shipment was going from California to Australia.

In April, officers confiscated a shipment of hammocks after seeing “a puff of powder rise up from a strand of the fabric during inspection,” the spokesperson said. Later, officials found that the hammocks were soaked in methamphetamine. The shipment originated in Mexico and was headed for Spain.

>> TRENDING: Area McDonald’s employees accused of photographing customer credit, debit cards

Lastly, Narcotics Detector Dog “Bruno” alerted officers in May of an illicit substance in a shipment of two electric popcorn poppers. Authorities found methamphetamine concealed beneath foam insulators. The shipment came from Mexico and was headed to Australia.

These were only three instances of how smugglers attempted to move drugs through borders.

Officers have found methamphetamine in “nasal spray, waterproofing sealant, horse saddles, baby diapers, bottles of honey, owl decorations, and molded into cardboard to form plates, and into plaster to make kids’ chairs,” the spokesperson said.

“Sometimes criminals didn’t bother to conceal anything at all, such as a 35-pound box full of nothing but methamphetamine enroute from China to New York,” the spokesperson stated.

Cincinnati’s top three narcotics seizures, by weight, were Methamphetamine (1,872 pounds), Marijuana (1,541 pounds), and Cocaine (730 pounds), the spokesperson informed. The drugs’ street value totaled over $28.5 million.

>> TRENDING: Beavercreek Police seeking help locating suspects concerning Apple Store break-in

Officers also intercepted 9,130 biological goods, ranking the port third in the nation and the most that the port has ever seized in a year, the spokesperson said. These biological goods ranged from plants to dead animals–all of which were prohibited to prevent imports of invasive species and dangerous diseases.

Officers found such shipments as frozen snakes and rodents in strawberry jam, live ants posing as screws, and birds’ nests stuffed into potato chip cans.

Over $105 million worth of fake merchandise was intercepted, the spokesperson said.

Some of the most notable seizures were $12 million in fake electronics (e.g. Apple AirPods) and over $63 million in counterfeit jewelry.

Finally, the agency confiscated over 2,100 counterfeit identity documents–a 213 percent increase from last year.

“As the international trade volumes continue to soar, these officers and specialists consistently protect our frontline by stopping thousands of illicit shipments while facilitating more than 69 million legitimate transactions,” Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie stated.