Patrol agents discovered two backpacks filled with more than $1.1 million worth of cocaine in Washington state near the Canadian border, US Customs and Border Protection said Monday.
Officers were out last Thursday in a wooded area in Lynden, located in northwest Washington, near a port of entry, when they he saw two black backpacks lying on the ground, officials said in a news release. They searched the backpacks and found 30 brick-like packages of a white, powdery substance.
After testing the substance, officials determined it was cocaine and turned it over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Under federal law, most seized drug they are destroyed, although some samples are kept as evidence for criminal prosecutions.
“Thanks to the vigilance of Border Patrol agents in the Blaine Sector, these dangerous narcotics were prevented from reaching our communities,” Chief Patrol Agent Rosario Vasquez said in a news release. “Our officers work tirelessly day in and day out to protect this nation, and this seizure highlights that crucial commitment.”
Officials did not say whether any arrests were made in connection with the discovery.
Cocaine appears as a List II medicine under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and has an accepted medical use for treatment in the US, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Abuse can lead to irregular heartbeats, ischemic heart disease, sudden cardiac arrest, seizures, strokes, and death.