NATION : ‘Semen’ Cans Yield $6 Million
Two suspected members of a Colombian drug cartel were arrested on money smuggling charges after U.S. Customs agents seized $6.4 million hidden in canisters labeled “bull semen,” authorities announced today.
The 26 containers crammed full of cash were discovered at the perishables warehouse at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sept. 10, said Thomas Mattina, New York area director for U.S. Customs Service, at a news conference in his office.
“They felt we wouldn’t examine them because of the nature of the product,” Mattina said of the 2-foot-tall metal containers that resemble old-fashioned milk cans.
However, agents were suspicious of the shipment because five months ago incoming canisters marked “bull semen” were found stuffed with cocaine, he said.
“We X-rayed the outgoing containers and spotted bundles of money inside,” said Mattina, standing behind a table piled high with the stacks of $20, $50, and $100 bills bound with rubber bands. The cargo was headed from a bogus address in Texas to Bogota, Colombia.
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