Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized nearly $1.5 million worth of drugs in a five-day period along the Texas border with Mexico. The drug seizures also resulted in six arrests.
“This was a busy weekend…” said Port Director Efrain Solis, Jr. at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “Not only do our officers process legitimate travelers, but we must seek out those with other illicit intentions.”
At the Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge, a 19-year-old American citizen from La Villa, Texas was travelling north February 5th. His Chevy pickup was searched. Officers found 15 packages of methamphetamine or heroin, with a total of 29 pounds of meth, and 3.5 pounds of heroin. The load had a total street value of $537,000.
About the same time, and 290-some miles to the northwest, a Chevy Malibu driven by a 23-year-old-woman from Eagle Pass, Texas. was coming back from Piedras Negras. She was asked to move to the secondary inspection area. There, a CBP K9 officer sniffed out some methamphetamine stashed inside a door. Slightly more than 5 pounds were picked up in two packages, with a street value of an estimated $104,500.
The next day, back on the Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge, another pickup, this one a Ford, driven by a 22-year-old woman from San Antonio was checked out. They found 13 packages holding 45 lbs. of cocaine with an estimated street value of $342,000.
While many Americans were watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, CBP officers two more incidents of people coming across the Pharr-Reynosa Bridge with drugs. The first, a 25-year-old resident of Reynosa was driving his Jeep Liberty. A secondary examination turned up 10 packages, about 1 kilogram each, of methamphetamine. That came to 25 pounds, and estimated worth of $349,000.
A short while later, a 22-year-old woman from Guadalajara walked across the bridge. In her suitcase, officers found two packages of methamphetamine, coming to 7 pounds.
The seizure blitz ended on Tuesday, February 9th, when an American national from Brownsville, walked across the bridge, and applied for entry. CBP officers sent him to secondary screening where inspectors discovered three packages under the man’s clothing. That discovery netted about 2.35 pounds of methamphetamine. It was estimated to be worth a little more than $46,700.
“We have a commitment to keep our country secure and it is this commitment that has kept these dangerous narcotics from entering our country,” said Petra Horne, director at the Brownsville Port of Entry.
In all, the Department of Homeland Security arrested six people. They seized four vehicles along with 68.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 pounds of cocaine, and 3.5 pounds of heroin with a street value of $1,480,278 that won’t be making it to the streets of America.
Rob Milford is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. You can follow him on Twitter @milford_rob.
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