BROWNSVILLE, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry intercepted alleged narcotics in two separate enforcement actions that have a combined estimated street value of $488,580.
“Experience and attention to detail by our CBP officers led directly to the seizure of these narcotics,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.
seized by CBP officers at Brownsville Port of Entry.
The first seizure took place on Monday, Nov. 30, at the Veterans International Bridge when a 27-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a white 2000 Ford F-150 pick-up. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, CBP officers discovered 17 packages hidden within the white pick-up. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 39.59 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The second seizure also took place on Monday, Nov. 30, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge when a 31-year-old male Mexican citizen from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, applied for entry into the United States driving a gray 2003 Saturn Vue. 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 10 packages hidden within the gray Saturn Vue. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 23.76 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizures is approximately $305,320 and $183,260 respectively.
CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the vehicles, arrested the drivers and turned them over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.
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