PHARR, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry intercepted more than $530,000 in alleged cocaine in two separate enforcement actions.
“Despite the ongoing COVID pandemic, smugglers continue to attempt to move narcotics through the port of entry,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “Our CBP officers continue to remain vigilant and utilize inspections experience and technology to disrupt these attempts, as these two seizures illustrate.”
cocaine seized by CBP officers at Pharr International
Bridge.
On July 16, 2021, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility encountered a tractor trailer arriving from Mexico driven by a 38 year-old-male Mexican national. A CBP officer referred the conveyance for further inspection, and after physically inspecting the tractor/trailer, officers discovered 25 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 59.52 pounds (27 kg) concealed within the tractor.
That same day, at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission, Texas, CBP officers encountered a silver Pontiac GT driven by a 34-year-old male U.S. citizen making entry from Mexico. During a thorough examination, officers discovered four packages of alleged cocaine weighing 9.34 pounds (4.24 kg) concealed within the vehicle.
CBP OFO seized the narcotics, the tractor/trailer, the vehicle, arrested the drivers and the cases remain under investigation by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI).
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