Texas Border Business
HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo and Anzalduas International Bridges intercepted $1,097,900 in alleged cocaine in two separate incidents.
“Our trained CBP officers remain vigilant and relied on their experience and all available tools and resources to thwart these smuggling attempts,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.
On October 16, 2022, CBP officers assigned to the Anzalduas International Bridge encountered a brown Ford pickup truck arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the conveyance for further inspection. After utilizing non-intrusive inspection systems (NII), CBP officers also conducted an additional (canine team) search. After physically inspecting the conveyance, officers extracted 20 packages weighing 45.59 pounds (20.68kg) of alleged cocaine concealed within the vehicle.
On October 20, 2022, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a red Chevrolet SUV arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the conveyance for further inspection, which included the use of non-intrusive inspection systems (NII). After physically inspecting the conveyance, officers extracted 15 packages weighing 36.64 pounds (16.62kg) of alleged cocaine concealed within the vehicle.
CBP OFO seized the narcotics, both vehicles and both cases remain under investigation by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI).
