LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge intercepted a mixture of hard narcotics totaling over $2 million in street value.
“These continued seizures of hard narcotics illustrate that the drug threat is ever-present and officers remain vigilant in their efforts to carry out CBP’s border security mission and protect the public from illegal narcotics,” said Acting Port Director Andrew Douglas, Laredo Port of Entry.
CBP officers at Laredo Port of Entry.
The first enforcement action occurred on Friday, July 31st when a CBP officer assigned to the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge referred a 2003 Dodge Stratus for secondary inspection. The vehicle was driven by a 47-year-old male Mexican citizen traveling from Mexico. Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system examination, a total of 27.16 pounds of alleged methamphetamine and 3.13 pounds of alleged heroin were found concealed within the vehicle.
Later that evening, CBP officer assigned to the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge encountered a 2009 Dodge Charger making entry from Mexico. The vehicle was driven by a 26-year-old female U.S. citizen, who was referred in for a secondary inspection. Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system examination, a total of 11.33 pounds of alleged heroin were found concealed within a vehicle component.
The narcotics have a combined estimated street value of $2,033,838
CBP seized the narcotics and the vehicles involved in the attempted smuggling. Both drivers were arrested and the cases were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.
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