NEW YORK (KTRK) -- Authorities seized approximately 3,200 lbs. of cocaine with an estimated street value of $77 million at the Port of New York/Newark.
The operation was in a joint operation involving U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U. S. Coast Guard (USCG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the New York Police Department (NYPD), and the New York State Police (NYSP).
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Authorities say an examination of a shipping container entering the United States revealed sixty packages containing a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. This apprehension is the second largest cocaine seizure at the Port of New York/Newark, and the largest in nearly 25 years.
"Cocaine, New York's nemesis of the 90's, is back- indicating traffickers push to build an emerging customer base of users mixing cocaine with fentanyl," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan.