Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020:
More than $18M in meth found in load of broccoli
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found more than $18 million worth of hard narcotics, most of which was allegedly methamphetamine, in a tractor-trailer load of broccoli.
The agents at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in southeast Texas, on Feb. 16, referred a tractor-trailer hauling a load of fresh broccoli for further examination. The inspection allowed officers to find 432 packages of suspected narcotics hidden in the trailer.
Officers removed and seized 341 packages of alleged meth weighing 895 pounds valued at $18 million, 87 packages of alleged marijuana weighing 202 pounds valued at $40,000, three packages of alleged heroin weighing 8.82 pounds worth $353,000, and one package of alleged cocaine weighing 3.31 pounds valued at $25,500.
Illinois-based carrier laying off 61 truckers in Wisconsin
A large Illinois carrier is laying off 61 truck drivers in Wisconsin due to lost business in the area, according to a notice filed Feb. 21 with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
Black Horse Carriers is closing its terminal located in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, which was “prompted by [a] customer’s decision given on Friday, Feb. 21, to discontinue business” with the fleet at that location, the notice states. The closure will lay off 68 total employees, 61 of which are truck drivers. The notice says the company expected the closure to happen Monday, Feb. 24.
The notice adds that the company “will ensure that employees will be paid all earned wages and agree upon benefits at the time of their termination.”
