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Customs inspectors discover 500 pounds; additional 600 pounds found on another tour bus entering U.S.
HIDALGO - Clowns are not usually a party to large drug investigations.
But on Sunday, customs inspectors at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge found more than 500 pounds of cocaine on a private tour bus in which a Latin Grammy-nominated musical group of clowns was riding.
About 40 minutes later, an additional 600 pounds of cocaine was seized from another tour bus entering the United States Officials said the two drug seizures were not related.
Customs and Border Protection estimates the street value of the drugs at $35 million; Immigration and Customs Enforcement puts the value at $5.6 million.
The Monterrey-based Los Payasonicos tour bus, with a large painted mural on its side, arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border at 3:15 a.m.
Upon searching the bus, customs inspectors found 200 bricks of cocaine wrapped in plastic in a secret compartment.
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