LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge arrested two women in unrelated enforcement actions this weekend that resulted in the seizure of alleged crystal methamphetamines and cocaine with a combined estimated worth of more than $4 million.
“While facilitating legitimate travel at our borders crossings as efficiently and effectively as possible, our CBP officers remain vigilant to prevent the entry of illegal contraband,” said Port Director Joseph Misenhelter, Laredo Port of Entry. “As a result, their continued commitment to our mission and training led to the discovery of these two significant narcotics loads.”
The most recent incident occurred on Sunday, Aug. 16 when a CBP officer referred a 2004 Ford F-150 driven by a 40-year-old female U.S. citizen from Dallas, Texas for a secondary non-intrusive imaging system examination that indicated anomalies in the vehicle. An intensive examination by CBP officers resulted in the discovery of a non-factory made compartment that weighed 97 pounds and allegedly contained crystal methamphetamines worth an estimated value of $4.2 million.
The other seizure occurred on Saturday, Aug. 15 when a CBP officer referred a 2010 Mini Cooper driven by a 26-year-old female Mexican citizen from Tejupilco, Mexico for examination. A canine alerted to the vehicle and a non-intrusive imaging system inspection revealed anomalies within the vehicle. CBP officers extracted 24 bundles allegedly containing 18 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $306,000.
CBP officers seized the narcotics, vehicles and arrested both female drivers who were then turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.