Eagle Pass, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Eagle Pass arrested a Mexican national Wednesday after finding more than 150 pounds of marijuana hidden in his pickup truck.
“Officer training and experience are vital to the detection and interdiction of illicit substances being brought into the country,” said Cynthia O. Rodriguez, CBP Port Director, Eagle Pass. “The ability of our frontline CBP officers to recognize anomalies within vehicles is vital to keeping contraband from entering the country.”
CBP officers at Eagle Pass International Bridge No. 1 inspected the 1995 Ford F-150 pickup as it arrived in the United States from Mexico Wednesday morning. The driver, a 42-year-old Piedras Negras, Mexico man, presented a Border Crossing Card as an entry document. After noticing that the bed of the pickup appeared to have been tampered with, officers referred the vehicle for an intensive inspection.
Scanning with a non-intrusive imaging system, and a positive alert by a CBP drug detection canine, led officers to the discovery of 48 packages of marijuana, weighing a total of 151.7 pounds, worth an estimated $151,700. The driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution.
The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.