SANTA TERESA, N.M -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized 20.5 pounds of meth late Sunday night. The estimated street value of the contraband is $656,000.
![Bundles of seized drugs.](/sites/default/files/styles/webp_original_size/public/u413/jun62017STPOEmeth1.jpg.webp?itok=_4jNtZXd)
The seizure was made late Sunday night when a 2008 Pontiac sedan with an adult female driver entered the port from Mexico. A CBP officer initiated a secondary examination and noticed anomalies in the appearance of the undercarriage-side of the trunk of the vehicle. Officers probed the suspicious area of the trunk and recovered a substance which tested positive for methamphetamine. A total of 17 meth-filled packages were recovered that weighed over 20 pounds.
“Our team of officers are constantly vigilant, highly trained in their profession, and always on the lookout for illegal activities,” said CBP Santa Teresa Acting Port Director Jesse Proctor. “This was a significant amount of methamphetamine seized that will not reach the United States and our communities.”
CBP officers arrested the driver and turned her over to ICE HSI special agents to face charges in connection with the failed 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.