Alamogordo NM
2-06-2025 8:20pm

Cocaine "no worse than whiskey, nor wine" per Columbian President as CBP Makes Huge Bust

Customs and Border Patrol seizes a huge cocaine shipment as Columbian President Gustavo Petro during a live broadcast of a government meeting claimed it "is no worse than whiskey, nor wine."

Colombia is the world's biggest cocaine producer and exporter, mainly to the United States and Europe, and has spent decades fighting against drug trafficking.

During a six-hour ministerial meeting  broadcast live the president of Columbia said "cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whiskey."

"If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking)," he said. "It could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine."

Petro also pointed out that fentanyl "is killing Americans and it is not made in Colombia," referring to the opioid responsible for around 75,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to official data.

Colombia is by far the world's biggest cocaine producer, and cultivation of coca leaves — the drug's base ingredient — reached a record high in the country in 2023, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said. About 253,000 hectares of farmland in Colombia were planted with coca in 2023, a 10% rise from the previous year, the UNODC found, as reported by Euro News.

All of the while U. S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Roma International Bridge cargo facility seized $1.6 million in cocaine concealed within a tractor trailer.

“Our CBP officers continue to remain vigilant in the cargo environment and their effective utilization of officer experience and technological tools and resources yielded the seizure of a significant amount of narcotics,” said Port Director Andres Guerra, Roma Port of Entry.

As reported by CPB, on January 31, 2025 CBP officers assigned to the Roma International Bridge cargo facility encountered a tractor trailer making entry from Mexico hauling a commercial shipment of soft drinks. The tractor trailer was selected for inspection, which included utilization of canines and non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment. After physically inspecting the shipment, officers extracted 50 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 120.15 pounds (54.5 kg) concealed within the shipment. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $1,604,262.

CBP OFO turned the truck, narcotics and driver over to Roma Police Department who arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation.

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