HIDALGO, TEXAS—Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested a Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico woman in connection with a failed smuggling attempt of cocaine valued at approximately $1,453,000.
The seizure/arrest occurred on Thursday morning, July 18, when CBP officers working at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge encountered a red 2001 Ford Mustang driven by a 20-year-old female Mexican citizen. After the driver presented her Mexican border crossing card, an officer referred her and the vehicle to secondary for a more thorough inspection.
During the course of the examination, and with the use of a vehicle non-intrusive imaging system, officers discovered packages of suspected narcotics concealed within the vehicle and subsequently removed 18 packages of alleged cocaine. CBP seized the narcotics which weighed approximately 20.60 kilograms (45.41 lbs.) and the vehicle as well.
CBP arrested the adult female and she was then released to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations agents for further investigation.
"Our officers' exceptional teamwork and ability to utilize all available tools and resources has enabled them to detect these hard narcotics and keep them out of our communities," said Efrain Solis Jr.,port director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas.