SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations Officers on Sunday seized 22 pounds (9.9 Kilograms) of cocaine from a passenger arriving at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan from St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The estimated street value of the seized contraband is approximately $277,000.“San Juan Office of Field Operations has a responsibility to ensure that criminal organizations do not use lawful travel as a means to conceal and move narcotics,” said Edwin Cruz, Area Port Director for Puerto Rico. “Our officers remain vigilant to detect and prevent any attempts to circumvent the security measures that are in place.”CBP Officers are authorized to inspect passengers at ports of entry without a search warrant

CBP officers interviewed the passenger, a citizen of the United States and resident of St. Thomas. Inside his carry-on luggage a total of six brick shaped objects were found, whose content reacted positive to cocaine.

CBP notified US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, who assumed custody of the seized contraband and arrested the subject.

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 US before their arrival, canine inspections and non-intrusive devices.