COLUMBUS, N.M -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Columbus port of entry seized 1.6 pounds of liquid methamphetamine Sunday. The drugs were hidden inside the rings of Native American style dreamcatchers.
“This is one of the most unusual smuggling episodes we have ever encountered,” said CBP Columbus Port Director Robert Reza. “Smugglers will try to conceal their drug loads in everyday items like soft drink cans, framed artwork and other seemingly innocent items. CBP utilizes numerous inspection techniques that help identify and stop these shipments.”
The seizure was made just after 2 p.m. when a 2000 Dodge Neon with one adult and two minor children entered the port from Mexico. A CBP officer initiated a secondary examination during which a CBP drug sniffing dog alerted to six dreamcatchers in the vehicle. CBP officers continued their exam and discovered that the rings of the dreamcatchers were made of rubber tubing filled with a liquid. The liquid contents tested positive for the properties of methamphetamine.
CBP officers took custody of the driver, a 25-year-old Mexican female from Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was turned over to ICE HSI special agents to face charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. Her eight-year-old and one-year-old daughters were remanded to the custody of a relative.
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.