NEW ORLEANS — Customs and Border Protection officers from the CBP Port of Gramercy removed a stowaway aboard the M/V Bulk Cajun and later discovered about 50 pounds of marijuana during a subsequent vessel search over the weekend.
On Saturday, Jan. 5, at about 10 p.m., crewmen aboard the vessel discovered a Jamaican stowaway near the vessel’s funnel. The stowaway was removed by CBP officers and placed in the St. Charles Parish prison to await processing and removal from the United States. Poor visibility prevented officers from conducting a thorough search of the vessel’s funnel or smokestack then.
The vessel docked on Sunday, Jan. 6, at about 12:30 p.m., when CBP officers and agents from the New Orleans U.S. Coast Guard Sector boarded the vessel, mustered all crewmen and began a complete search of the vessel. During the search, CBP canine “Boris” alerted to authorities to the Jacob’s ladder locker where they discovered a black bag concealing approximately 50 pounds of marijuana.
Acting Area Port Director for the CBP Port of New Orleans Kim K. Hynes said, “This enforcement action is a perfect example of how Customs and Border Protection works side-by-side with our sister DHS components, in this case the U.S. Coast Guard. This stowaway apprehension and narcotic interdiction illustrates the advantages of leveraging DHS resources to accomplish a mission.”