HIDALGO, Texas — Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested two Houston, Texas men in connection with a failed drug smuggling attempt of methamphetamine and cocaine valued at about $1.2 million.
“These two young men will face the prospect of trial on federal drug charges in connection with this alleged smuggling attempt,” said Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “Young people often get lured into illicit activities by the ambition of making a quick buck, but the repercussions far outweigh the promised material gains.”
CBP officers working at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge on Tuesday, May 20 encountered a silver 2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor minivan occupied by two 20-year-old male United States citizens from Houston. After presenting State of Texas issued driver’s license/identification cards, they were referred to secondary for further inspection. While inspecting the minivan in secondary and with the use of a vehicle non-intrusive imaging system, officers discovered packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the Mitsubishi. Officers removed four packages of alleged cocaine weighing approximately 9.74 pounds and 11 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing approximately 28.17 pounds. CBP-OFO seized the narcotics, which carry an estimate street value of $901,000 for the methamphetamine, $312,000 for the cocaine and seized the minivan as well.
CBP-OFO arrested both men who were then released to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.