LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. law enforcement officials have seized more than 220 pounds of cocaine concealed in two produce cargo vessels arriving to Port Hueneme in California from Ecuador and Guatemala, according to a statement of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) department on Friday.
CBP officers discovered 80 bundles of cocaine weighing 204.2 pounds (92.64 kilograms) concealed within the floorboards of a refrigerated vessel arriving from Ecuador on Jan. 22.
A week after, on Jan. 28, they discovered another seven bundles of cocaine weighing 17.5 pounds (7.96 kilograms) inside the floorboards in another cargo vessel arriving from Guatemala.
It was a collaborative mission of CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, said the statement.
Located in Ventura County, Port Hueneme is the only commercial deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Strategically located, Port Hueneme is an important hub for imports of autos, fresh produce, general cargo, bulk liquids, and fish.
"This is the largest drug seizure at Port Hueneme in the last quarter of a century," said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP Port Director of the LA/Long Beach Seaport, and Port Hueneme.
