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  4. Brownsville CBP Officers Seize $1.7M in Narcotics in Two Seizures

Brownsville CBP Officers Seize $1.7M in Narcotics in Two Seizures

Release Date
Tue, 08/11/2020

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry intercepted alleged narcotics in two separate enforcement actions at Gateway International Bridge that have a combined estimated street value of $1,787,866.

“Our officers have seized multiple narcotics loads in the past few days demonstrating that even in the midst of a pandemic, the threat of narcotics is unrelenting and our CBP officers continue to remain committed to safeguarding our borders and to the CBP mission,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.

Containers filled with 83 pounds of methamphetamine seized by CBP officers at Brownsville Port of Entry
Containers filled with 83 pounds of methamphetamine
seized by CBP officers at Brownsville Port of Entry.

The first seizure took place on Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Gateway International Bridge when a 39-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2007 Dodge Caravan.  The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection.  In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive imaging system (NII), CBP officers discovered seven packages hidden within the Dodge Caravan.  CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 16.4 pounds of alleged cocaine.

The second seizure took place on Friday, Aug. 7, at the Gateway International Bridge when a 22-year-old male United States citizen applied for entry into the United States as the driver of a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica along with an 18-year-old female United States citizen.  The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection.  In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive imaging system (NII) and a canine unit, CBP officers discovered a total of 83.07 pounds of alleged methamphetamine in solution within the Chrysler Pacifica.

The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizures is approximately $126,480 and $1,661,386 respectively.

CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the vehicles, arrested the drivers and the passenger and turned them over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.

For more information about CBP, please click on the attached link.

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 official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021