HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge detected over 30 pounds of alleged cocaine worth $256,000 in a BMW SUV that arrived from Mexico.
“Our officers have intercepted another significant amount of hard narcotics that was being introduced within a vehicle attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico,” said Acting Port Director Javier Cantu, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “With the increase in travelers due to the holiday season, our officers continue to maintain their vigilance to decipher and identify narcotics loads and other federal law violations within vehicles that attempt to blend in with the legitimate traffic.”
On Dec. 9, a 56-year-old man from Mission, Texas arrived at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge during the late evening hours driving a silver 2004 BMW X3. A CBP officer referred him and the vehicle for further inspection and it was during the secondary examination that officers discovered packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the SUV.
With the use of a vehicle non-intrusive imaging system, officers were able to locate and remove 12 packages of alleged cocaine weighing approximately 33.25 pounds. CBP seized the narcotics and the vehicle as well.
CBP OFO arrested the Mission resident and subsequently released him to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents for further investigation.