- US officials seized 3,200 pounds of cocaine at Port New York/Newark at the end of February.
- The seizure is estimated to be worth $77 million and is the largest at the port since 1994.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Customs agents have seized the biggest shipment of cocaine recovered at the ports of New York and New Jersey in 25 years.
US Customs and Border Protection says 3,200 pounds of the drug in 60 packages were seized at Port New York/Newark on Feb. 28. The street value is estimated at $77 million.
It's the biggest cocaine seizure at the ports since 1994 and the second-largest cocaine seizure on record.
An examination of a shipping container revealed the packages, which held a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, Customs and Border Protection said in a release.
A Customs spokesman says the container was recovered from a ship that originated in South America.
The drugs were seized in a joint operation involving US Customs and Border Protection, the US Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York Police Department, and New York State Police.
Customs officers turned the drugs over to federal Homeland Security officials for investigation.
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