Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Laredo CBP Officers Seize over 8,500 Pills of Undeclared Controlled Medication, Resulting in One Arrest

Laredo CBP Officers Seize over 8,500 Pills of Undeclared Controlled Medication, Resulting in One Arrest

Release Date
Wed, 08/11/2021

LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized undeclared pharmaceutical medication that resulted in the arrest of one female traveler.

“This seizure of undeclared prescription medication was composed of muscle relaxants, sedatives and stimulants that are classified as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Fortunately, our frontline officers remain vigilant in the interdiction of these dangerous drugs, which aids in the prosecution of alleged drug traffickers.”

Packages containing 8,558 pills of various kinds of controlled prescription medication seized by CBP officers at Laredo Port of Entry
Packages containing 8,558 pills of various types of
controlled prescription medication, including Valium, 
Ritalin, Xanax and Carisoprodol seized by CBP officers
at Laredo Port of Entry.

The seizure occurred on Saturday, August 7th, at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge, when a CBP officer referred a 43-year-old female United States citizen for a secondary examination. The subject made entry from Mexico as a pedestrian. Following a thorough examination of the subjects’ personal belongings, CBP officers discovered a total of 16 packages containing 1,508 tablets of Carisoprodol, 2,679 tablets of Valium, 600 tablets of Ritalin and 3,771 tablets of Xanax. 

CBP seized the undeclared medication. The pedestrian was arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.

Federal law permits travelers to carry personal use amounts of prescription medications, generally considered to be up to a 90-day supply. Additionally, the medicine containers must be labeled with the doctor's prescription, or the traveler must possess a copy of the doctor’s prescription if the medicines are in an unlabeled container. Learn more at Traveling with Prescription Medications.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo, on Instagram at @dfolaredo and U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.

 

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 official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Sep 28, 2022