U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized large loads of cocaine and marijuana at two separate Texas ports of entry. The drugs were being smuggled in from Mexico.
A driver crossing the Gateway International Bridge from Matamoros, Mexico, to Brownsville, Texas, on Monday was referred to a secondary inspection station after a K-9 officer alerted to the presence of drugs, information provided to Breitbart Texas by CBP officials stated.
37 pounds of cocaine seized at Brownsville Port of Entry.(Photo: CBP.gov)
The driver, identified only as a 40-year-old Mexican citizen, was driving a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee when the K-9 officer detected the possible presence of drugs. A secondary inspection revealed 15 packages of what officers believed to be cocaine. The 37 pounds of narcotics was valued at $288,320 by CBP officials. The driver was arrested and the drugs and vehicle were seized. Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) will take over the investigation of the smuggling attempt.
“This seizure exemplifies our CBP officers’ commitment to the CBP mission,” Brownsville Port of Entry Port Director Petra Horne said in the written statement. “The experience and determination of our CBP officers are key elements of CBP’s success in keeping narcotics from entering our nation.”
CBP officials also announced this week the seizure of 300 pounds of marijuana that was being smuggled across the Hidalgo International Bridge. A 24-year-old Mexican man from Veracruz, Mexico, was attempting to cross from Reynosa, Mexico, into Texas in a 1993 Ford Econoline van, officials stated. A K-9 officer alerted to the scent of drugs and the vehicle was referred to a secondary inspection station. Non-intrusive inspection equipment revealed 288 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the van. The 48 bundles of marijuana were estimated by officials to be worth $57,600.
288 pounds of marijuana seized at Hidalgo International Bridge. (Photo: CBP.gov)
CBP Field Operations officers arrested the man and seized the drugs. HSI will take over the investigation.
“These drugs will not make it to their intended destination. CBP officers stopped another substantial amount of marijuana on the frontline,” Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. said in statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “Our CBP officers’ vigilance and observation skills greatly contributed to the interception of this dangerous drug.”
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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