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CBP Officers at Columbus Port Stop Drug Load

Release Date
Mon, 09/18/2017

COLUMBUS, N.M. -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Columbus port of entry seized 44 pounds of marijuana Friday. The estimated street value of the seized contraband is $35,200.

Drug load in quarter panels.
Drug load in quarter panels.

“It was the good work of vigilant CBP officers that stopped this drug load,” said Robert Reza, CBP Columbus Port Director. “CBP officers are on point and hard at work upholding our vital CBP mission and protecting our nation.”

The seizure was made just before 4 a.m. Friday when a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado with a single male driver entered the port from Mexico. A CBP officer working at the primary inspection station noted a number of issues during the primary exam and directed the driver to the secondary inspection area. CBP officers used the Z-Portal x-ray system to scan the vehicle and noted a number of anomalies in the quarter panels. CBP officers continued their exam and located 35 drug-filled bundles in both rear quarter panels of the vehicle.

CBP officers took custody of the driver, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special agents to face charges associated with the failed drug smuggling attempt.

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.

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.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021