see also: in October 2007 News Releases:   Cocaine Smuggler Tries To Trick El Paso CBP Officers by Hiding Drugs in Car Body   Border Patrol Agents in Texas Seize Marijuana Worth $1 Million Hidden Under Watermelons   Fingerprint Check Allows Border Patrol to Arrest Murder Suspect   Border Patrol Texas Task Force Seizes 500 Pounds of Marijuana   CBP Officers at Mail Facility Find Marijuana in Cement Statues, Opium   Tecate, Calif. Cargo Processing Port to Resume Operations Wednesday Morning   CBP at Newark Airport Discovers Man with Fraudulent Documents, False Claim to U.S. Citizenship ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Memphis, Tenn. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Memphis International Airport’s air cargo facility recently seized approximately six pounds of cocaine concealed in baseball bats.

CBP officers performing pre-arrival manifest review at the cargo facility in Memphis selected a shipment manifested as "bates de baseball" for intensive exam. The bats were shipped from the Dominican Republic and were destined for Spain. When the package arrived in the CBP exam area October 18, a CBP officer opened the package and noticed a total of three bats.

One of the bats was X-rayed and discrepancies were noticed in the thick part or barrel of the bat. A drill exam produced a white powdery substance, which field-tested positive for cocaine. The other the were X-rayed and drilled and all three bats were found to contain cocaine.

The cocaine and bats were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.