Texas Border Business
HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $4,520,192 of alleged cocaine concealed within a passenger bus.
“These harmful narcotics will not make it to American streets thanks to our CBP officers who used all available tools and resources to stop this smuggling attempt,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.
On September 23, 2023, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a passenger bus arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection which included utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII)equipment. Physical inspection of the bus resulted in the discovery of 131 packages weighing 338.54 pounds (153.56kg) of alleged cocaine concealed within the bus.
CBP OFO seized the narcotics and vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation.
