U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents teamed up to seize almost $8 million in drugs at and near the Texas-Mexico Border in Laredo this week. Laredo is on the north bank of the Rio Grande River opposite Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
CBP officers discovered a large amount of cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and heroin in two separate busts on July 22. Officials estimated the street value of the drugs to be $1,183,612.
A 58-year-old male Mexican national was driving his 2014 SUV Chevy Trax from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, CBP Officers referred him to an inspection station at the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge. Officers used a canine, a non-intrusive imagining (NII) system, and physical inspection and discovered ten packages of cocaine. The drugs weighed 25 pounds and had an estimated street value of $196,180. A 27-year-old Mexican national from the same city was found to have 48 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and one pound of heroin in the 2007 Chevrolet Suburban he was driving.
“Being vigilant at all times is a key component ingrained into our officers,” Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry said in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.
The very next day, a Border Patrol canine alerted on a white 2003 Dodge Durango at the border patrol checkpoint in Laredo. Border Patrol agents searched the vehicle and found 177.08 pounds of crystal methamphetamine. The drugs were contained in three metal cylinders and had a street value of $5,666,560. Agents determined the driver of the vehicle to be a United States citizen.
On the same day, CBP officers at the Laredo Port of Entry seized more than $1 million in cocaine. The drugs were hidden in a 1995 Viaggio commercial bus attempting to get across the Lincoln-Juarez International bridge. The 147 pounds of cocaine contained in 55 packages had a street value of $1,136,960. “I congratulate our officers for their dedication which has prevented these dangerous narcotics from entering our country,” Port Director Alvarez said. “This was an excellent interception by our CBP officers and a great example of the layered enforcement implemented by CBP.”
Officials have turned all of these cases over to special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) for possible prosecution.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.