EL PASO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized 106 pounds of marijuana late Thursday. The drugs were hidden in a car being driven by a 17-year-old boy.
The seizure occurred just after 9 p.m. when a 2000 Ford Taurus being driven by the young U.S. citizen entered the Ysleta port of entry from Mexico. A CBP officer working the primary inspection booth noticed anomalies in the appearance of the vehicle and selected the car for a secondary exam.
A CBP drug sniffing dog searched the car and alerted to the bumpers. CBP officers scanned the vehicle with the Z-Portal X-ray system and spotted anomalies consistent with hidden contraband.
CBP officers continued the inspection and removed 90 marijuana-filled bundles from the front and rear bumpers as well as the doors of the vehicle.
The 17-year-old driver of the car, the vehicle and the drugs were turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety for arrest and seizure.
In addition to the marijuana seizure CBP officers working in the El Paso area also made two methamphetamine seizures, apprehended three people being sought on NCIC lookouts, and recorded one agriculture smuggling violation.