Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry intercepted alleged narcotics in four separate enforcement actions that have a combined estimated street value of $1,448,249.
“Our CBP officers used multiple law enforcement tools to discover and seize these dangerous narcotics and our streets are safer for their diligence,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.
The first seizure took place on Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Gateway International Bridge when a 25-year-old male United States citizen who resides in Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2016 Buick. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a canine unit, CBP officers discovered 10 packages hidden within the 2016 Buick. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 22.48 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The second seizure took place on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Veterans International Bridge when an 18-year-old male United States citizen who resides in Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2009 Dodge. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive inspection system (NII), CBP officers discovered five packages hidden within the vehicle. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 11.41 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The third seizure took place on Wednesday, Nov. 2, also at the Veterans International Bridge when a 25-year-old female United States citizen who resides in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2003 Ford. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive inspection system (NII) and a canine unit, CBP officers discovered 13 packages hidden within the 2003 Ford. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 29.93 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The fourth seizure took place on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Los Indios International Bridge when a 44-year-old female United States citizen who resides in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2008 Jeep. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive inspection system (NII) and a canine unit, CBP officers discovered 18 packages hidden within the 2008 Jeep. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 44.62 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizures is approximately $300,247, $152,478, $399,740, and $595,784 respectively.
CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the vehicles, arrested the drivers and turned them over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.
