Cheese wheels appeared innocent, but they were hiding something illegal, officials say

Four wheels of cheese driven into the United States from Mexico weren’t what they seemed, border agents determined.

A 22-year-old American declared the cheese wheels as he drove across the border Thursday, July 20, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found “anomalies” when they were scanned.

Officers cut open the cheese, and found “bundles” inside. Border officials say 17.8 pounds of cocaine were hidden inside the cheese wheels.

“Smugglers will sometimes try to conceal contraband in items that appear innocent to deflect suspicion,” Daniel Mercado, director of Customs and Border Protection at the Presidio Port said in the release. “The thorough and extensive inspections performed by CBP officers stopped this unusual drug load from reaching its intended destination.”

The American was detained and will face charges, officials said.

It’s not uncommon for smugglers to hide illegal narcotics within inanimate objects. In June, a Mexican man tried smuggling 146 pounds of cocaine into the United States inside an ice cream machine, McClatchy News reported.

Also in June, nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills were found hidden inside two porcelain sinks at a border crossing, according to McClatchy News.

Border patrol agents have recently found drugs in “roofs, floorboards, door panels, bumpers, tires, gas tanks, car batteries, seats, speaker boxes, false floors, drones, and more,” they said in a July 18 news release.