PORT HUENEME, CA - In what officials are calling the Port of Hueneme’s "biggest drug bust in twenty-five years," federal authorities seized roughly 221 pounds of cocaine that were hidden in the floorboards of two produce ships. The seizures were due to a joint effort on the parts of Border Patrol Agents and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“This normally doesn’t happen in Port Hueneme,” stated Jaime Ruiz, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

According to news source VC Star, Ruiz did not disclose how authorities knew there would be illicit substances on the ships carrying produce from Central and South America. The Los Angeles Times reported that the first stash of cocaine, found on January 22, 2019, was discovered on a ship that had arrived from Ecuador. 80 bundles of the drug were wrapped and hidden underneath the floorboards. The second stash, found on January 28, 2019, was concealed under the floor of a cargo ship from Guatemala.

Officials did not specify what kind of produce was on the ships that contained the cocaine.

“I’m extremely proud of the results of this joint effort; it shows the professionalism, vigilance, and keen focus of both agencies in preventing dangerous drugs into our communities,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP Port Director of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport and Port Hueneme, in a press release.

For the latest in how innocent produce is being used for nefarious deeds, keep reading AndNowUKnow.