Eagle Pass, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Eagle Pass port of entry recently seized cocaine valued at nearly half a million dollars during a vehicle inspection.
The seizure occurred on April 7, at Camino Real International Bridge. A CBP officer referred a 2009 Dodge Nitro driven by a 22-year-old female U.S. citizen from Eagle Pass for a secondary examination. During the examination, CBP officers discovered anomalies in the roof of the vehicle. Upon further examination, CBP officers discovered six packages containing a total of 14 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $448,000.
CBP officers turned the driver over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations special agents for further investigation and seized the narcotics and the vehicle.
"Our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of inspection experience, canines and high-tech tools to zero in on this significant load of narcotics," said Cynthia O. Rodriguez, CBP Port Director, Eagle Pass.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.