EL PASO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at El Paso area ports of entry seized 18 pounds of cocaine, 27 pounds of heroin and 78 pounds of marijuana over the weekend.
“Our CBP officers continue to maintain a robust enforcement posture,” said CBP El Paso Director Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “These interceptions are indicative of the commitment by our officers to the CBP mission of safeguarding our nation’s borders.”
On April 8, CBP officers and CBP canine enforcement officers along with a drug detecting canine were conducting vehicle inspections at the Paso Del Norte border crossing in El Paso when they encountered a vehicle driven by a 24-year-old male U.S. citizen arriving from Mexico. A CBP drug detecting dog conducted a search of the vehicle and alerted CBP officers to the presence of narcotics. A thorough examination by CBP officers resulted in the discovery of seven packages with a weight of 18 pounds concealed within the vehicle. The contents of the bundles tested positive for the properties of cocaine.
On April 9, CBP Officers working at the port of Columbus, New Mexico seized 27 pounds of heroin. CBP officers located multiple bundles hidden in a car that arrived from Mexico following a CBP canine alert and non-intrusive inspection (x-ray) scan.
On April 10, CBP officers working at the port of Presidio, Texas encountered a vehicle driven by a 63-year-old male U.S. citizen arriving from Mexico. The driver and the vehicle were referred for a secondary inspection where a drug detecting dog and a non-intrusive inspection (x-ray) scan led CBP officers to the discovery of 75 bundles located within the vehicle with a weight of 78 pounds. The contents of the bundles tested positive for the properties of marijuana.
The narcotics and vehicles were seized by CBP, and the drivers were turned over to ICE Homeland Security Investigations for prosecution.