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  4. CBP Officers Seize Cocaine, Heroin and Marijuana at the El Paso Area Ports of Entry

CBP Officers Seize Cocaine, Heroin and Marijuana at the El Paso Area Ports of Entry

Release Date
Fri, 04/15/2022

EL PASO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at El Paso area ports of entry seized 19.67 pounds of cocaine, 14.2 pounds of heroin and 559 pounds of marijuana within a span of two days.

 “Our CBP officers remain focused on their mission of protecting the homeland,” said CBP El Paso Director Field Operation Hector A. Mancha. “Our CBP officers are committed to securing our borders and keeping our communities safe by stopping these dangerous drugs from coming into our county.”

 On April 11, CBP officers working at the port of Columbus, New Mexico seized 451 pounds of marijuana. CBP officers located multiple bundles hidden in a truck that arrived from Mexico following a CBP canine alert and non-intrusive inspection (x-ray) scan.

 On April 12, CBP officers in El Paso seized 16.97 pounds of cocaine on two separate unrelated incidents. The first incident occurred at Paso Del Norte border crossing when CBP officers encountered a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old female U.S. citizen. Following a CBP canine alert and non-intrusive inspection CBP officers discovered packages with a weight of 4.54 pounds concealed within the vehicle.

 

A few hours later CBP officers working at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) border crossing inspected a vehicle driven by a 23-year-old male U.S. citizen. A thorough inspection resulted in the discovery of packages with a weight of 12.43 pounds concealed within the vehicle.

Mixed cocaine and heroin load.
Mixed cocaine and heroin load.

 On April 13, CBP officers and CBP canine enforcement officers were conducting vehicle inspections at the BOTA border crossing when they encountered a vehicle driven by a 28-year-old female U.S. citizen. Following a CBP canine alert and non-intrusive inspection, CBP officers discovered six bundles with a weight of 14.20 pounds of heroin and one bundle with a weight of 2.7 pounds of cocaine concealed within the vehicle.

 A few hours later CBP officers at BOTA encountered a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old male U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle 108.5 pounds of marijuana. CBP officers discovered the bundles concealed throughout the vehicle during a secondary search.

 All subjects arrested by CBP Officers were turned over to local and federal authorities to face charges. 

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.

Last Modified: Apr 15, 2022