U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Laredo Sector teamed up with officials of the Mexican Government to interdict and seize $8 million in drugs shipped through a port of entry earlier this month.
Mexican government officials began tracking a suspected load of marijuana in Nuevo Laredo. The traffickers planned to move the load through the Laredo Port of Entry, according to Laredo Sector officials.
Officials said the smugglers planned to move a “large load” of marijuana in a tractor-trailer through the port. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Foreign Operations Branch teamed up with the Mexican government and military. The Mexican military identified the tractor-trailer at the Laredo Port of Entry and moved in to seize the load and the vehicle/trailer.
Inside, the Mexican military found 423 bundles of marijuana. Officials estimated the 10,083.94 pounds of marijuana to be worth about $8 million on the street.
“This seizure clearly demonstrates the exceptional level of binational cooperation that the Border Patrol has with the Government of Mexico. We fully intend to continue this level of cooperation between both governments to locate and prevent the smuggling of illicit contraband,” Acting Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens said in a written statement.
The Laredo Sector established the Foreign Operations Branch at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2017 (October 1, 2016). The purpose of the branch is to establish a streamlined structure for working with Mexican officials. The branch grew out of the successes of the International Liaison Unit, officials stated. The new branch brought the International Liaison Unit, Consular Affairs Team, Bi-National Enforcement, and Bi-National Prosecutions groups together under one roof.
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, GAB, and Facebook.
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