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  4. CBP Officers In Puerto Rico Discover Heroin In Passenger Backpack

CBP Officers In Puerto Rico Discover Heroin In Passenger Backpack

Release Date
Tue, 02/21/2012

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO—U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized approximately 3.4 pounds of heroin from inside a passenger's backpack.

Late Sunday, CBP officers were conducting routine inspections on a Copa Flight arriving from Colombia, via Panama.

CBP Officers conducted a secondary examination of Jesse Anthony Mayorga, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen. Mayorga claimed ownership of one suitcase and a back pack and all its contents. During the examination, CBP Officers noticed an unusual weight on the back pack and upon further examination discovered a white powdery substance hidden within the back pack.

The substance was field tested and results showed it to be heroin. The heroin, weighing approximately 3.4 pounds, was seized.

Mayorga was placed under arrest and his custody was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.

"The hard work and expertise of our officers continues to add to the safety of our community by disrupting the illegal contraband of money and drugs," said San Juan Area Port Director Maria Palmer.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021