PRESIDIO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working outbound operations at the Presidio port of entry seized a weapon, currency, drug paraphernalia, drugs and detained an undocumented alien Friday morning. The contraband and money were seized from a female U.S. citizen.
discovery of an AK-47 pistol underneath
the driver’s seat.
“It is typical to arrest an individual violating multiple laws,” said Michael Neipert, CBP Presidio Port Director. “But this is a first for the Port in which infractions to laws and regulations governing currency, weapons, narcotics and immigration by one person is encountered.”
The seizure was made at 3:45 a.m. Friday when a 2011 Chevy Silverado approached the outbound inspection area. A 29-year-old driver, who was accompanied by a 17-year-old Mexican citizen passenger, drove the vehicle. Outbound officers selected the vehicle for inspection. During the initial interview it was discovered the juvenile passenger did not possess documents to be legally in the United States. Inspection of the vehicle resulted in discovery of an AK-47 pistol underneath the driver’s seat, 47 rounds of ammunition and a gram scale. The driver had on her possession several paper packets containing a total of 10.3 grams of cocaine. The driver and passenger were also in possession of $10,414 dollars in cash.
CBP officers arrested the driver who was turned over to Presidio Police Department and the Mexican juvenile was turned over to the Mexican Consul.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.