LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are reporting some of the highest increases in seizures ever in Louisville.
Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn said officers can seize thousands of illegal items ranging from narcotics, weapons and counterfeit products in a single day.
"We've seen a spike in pretty much everything we encounter," Mahn said. "The officers are very busy out there. It's a big animal."
Since October 2020, Louisville has seen an increase in cocaine seizures by 769%. Ketamine seizures are up 1,338%, methamphetamine seizures are up by 796%, and steroid seizures up by 3,667% compared to last fiscal year.
Louisville officers have also seized $122.5 million in illegal currency.
On Aug. 9, CBP seized $61.4 million of counterfeit currency arriving from Turkey, headed to Memphis. The next day, officers seized $40.77 million of counterfeit currency from Turkey headed to Charlotte.
"I have never seen one that large in Louisville, and over my 20-some years, I've never seen that one that large at all," Mahn said.
Mahn said the money was in $100 denominations and has been turned over to the U.S. Secret Service.
"They had tried to incorporate a Turkish word on the label as counterfeit, but it was so small and so indistinct, if you weren't paying attention, you would never catch it," Mahn said. "Those counterfeit bills would've definitely passed if they were mixed in with other legitimate U.S. currency."
The officers have also reported an increase in shipments containing deadly medications, specifically adulterated honey laced with the medications sildenafil and tadalafil used to treat erectile dysfunction. The medications can cause heart attacks and other serious health issues.
"We've seen probably 18,000 pounds of this just in the last month, so it's a very significant problem," Mahn said.
Sometimes, Mahn said the illegal goods are not disguised, while other times they are hidden inside other boxes or packaged to appear to be a different product.
"We often see narcotics concealed within machinery parts, computers and the walls of a cardboard box," Mahn said. "They'll just take the cardboard box, they'll separate it and put little spindles of narcotics in the gaps, and they'll try to re-glue it back together to make it look good. If you can feel it, they've tried to hide it in it."
As more people shop online due to COVID-19, Mahn said officers are seeing an increase in illegal goods being shipped through ground carries, like UPS, disguised as legitimate online purchases.
In addition to drugs, CBP reports seizing fake COVID-19 product materials, such as test kits and vaccination cards.
FDA seizures are also up 883% and pest interceptions are up 525%. More than $12 million worth of counterfeit items such as clothing, purses and watches has been seized as compared to last year.
CBP said if you receive a product in the mail that seems illegitimate, do not use the items and contact the office so the items can be inspected.
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