PHARR, Texas—Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility seized marijuana valued at approximately $7.2 million that was discovered within a shipment that contained commercial hydraulic press machinery.
“This extraordinary interception of marijuana certainly ranks at the top of the list in reference to quantity for this type of narcotic having been seized at our commercial cargo crossing in Pharr,” said Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “The tedious, strenuous efforts employed to extract the marijuana from this piece of machinery were well compensated by having the satisfaction in knowing that we at CBP are doing our part in the war against drugs.”
CBP officers working at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility on May 20 encountered a white 2000 International tractor pulling a flatbed trailer that was transporting a piece of heavy machinery. The hydraulic press, as described on the commercial manifest, was referred for a secondary inspection, which included an examination utilizing a non-intrusive imaging system.
A closer look revealed that the structure of the machinery contained suspected narcotics and the process of extracting the substance ensued. CBP officers working together with a contracted team with specialized equipment extracted a total of 7,198 pounds of bulk, alleged marijuana over the course of several days.
CBP seized the marijuana, the tractor/trailer and the machinery.
CBP Field Operations at Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.