PRESIDIO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Presidio port of entry seized 72 pounds of marijuana Friday afternoon. The drugs were hidden inside the spare tire of a Chevy Silverado.
“Smuggling contraband in the spare tire of a vehicle is a common tactic used by smugglers,” said Steven Green, acting Presidio Port Director. “Our layered inspectional process is geared to interdict such attempts.”
The seizure was made at 3:30 p.m. Friday when a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado with a U.S. citizen driver entered the Presidio international crossing. CBP officers referred the vehicle to secondary for an intensive inspection. In secondary the vehicle was scanned through an x-ray system which displayed anomalies in the spare tire. A
CBP drug sniffing dog searched the vehicle and alerted to the odor of narcotics. Break down of the spare tire resulted in the discovery of 70 bundles containing a substance which field tested positive for the properties of marijuana.
The driver, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen from Odessa, Texas was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security ICE agents to face federal prosecution for narcotics smuggling.
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.