MIAMI — Local 10 News received an exclusive behind-the-scenes look Monday at how federal authorities intercept illegal narcotics at one of the nation’s busiest airports for international passengers to make sure drugs don’t make it to the streets of Miami.

Behind the bustle of international passenger traffic at Miami International Airport are federal officers on the frontlines of border security mitigating against agricultural threats.

“We are processing about 30,000+ daily international passengers,” said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol MIA Passenger Operations Watch Commander Bryan Picado.

Local 10 News also spoke with a female officer from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol who said that agents are responsible for evaluating meat products that are transported from Europe and to help prevent diseases, like African Swine Fever, from spreading.

“We don’t have proof these meats are free from the disease, and it could transfer to our cattle, and we don’t want that,” she said.

The agents are also assisting with immigration to include processing what has been an uptick in those with official permission to enter the U.S.

“Miami International Airport is one of the largest ports receiving paroles from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, and we are doing about 600 a day,” said Picado.

Picado took Local 10 viewers to an area of the airport where cameras rarely go to get a better understanding of the variety of screening coordination with other agencies, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to spot a range of concealment techniques.

“Like right here, this is a rhino horn. I was informed today that this is worth half of a million dollars,” he said, while showing the horn to Local 10′s Christina Vazquez. “A lot of herbs come through. A very popular one we see around here is maca, which is a root from South America. We have intercepted the power and 80 percent of it is cocaine, so they lace it with cocaine.”

“And when it is laced with narcotics, we have a special machine that will detect it, and that the machine is going to shoot a laser,” he added. “We test it and then we determine if that person is going to get arrested or not.”

CBP Officer Junior Lopez told Local 10 News that he encountered a drug smuggler who said they were working with National Geographic films, who was arrested after having 13 pounds of cocaine on him.

Authorities said their security process starts at booking.

“Who are you sitting next to on a plane? We already know that, so when a passenger arrives, we are able to determine what level of threat they may have,” said Picado.

Once here, passports and documents are checked. Then, officers trained in body language are keeping an eye on non-verbal communication that could indicate deception.

“We are looking at them through different glass windows to ensure that their behaviors are that of a normal person that is not trying to smuggle something,” said Picado.

“You get your bag, you are looking around, you don’t see someone in uniform, but it doesn’t mean someone in uniform isn’t watching you?” Vazquez asked.

“Correct,” Picado said. “We also have plain clothes officers roving in the areas to look at and observe these behaviors.”

“If they are bringing narcotics in a bag, in souls of shoes, if they are bringing any time of narcotics, they will get x-rayed to see if they are lying to us or not,” he added.

The passengers must have a prescription made out to them and with them.

The CBP said one arrest included a man coming from Brazil into MIA.

Authorities said the man gave off a sign by showing non-verbal cues, which led to a baggage check and a chemical compound being tested through the high-tech mobile chem lab.

The CBP did an examination of the liquid and caught the man with viles of steroids, testosterone and testing on unmarked serum bottles.

“They try to trick us this way, but it is our job to know exactly how to stay with trends of concealment,” said Lopez.

“This is where you go to the club and they will lace your drink,” said Picado. “Because of our efforts, our equipment, and our officers being trained well, we were able to stop that from entering the streets of Miami.”

“This is a party scene and if you don’t take care of yourself, (you might) end up in a bad situation,” he added.

Click here for more information on how the CBP secures America’s ports of entry.

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