CBP Officers in Southern Texas Seize Cocaine Worth Nearly $4.5 Million

(Monday, November 26, 2012)

Anzalduas, Texas—Customs and Border Protection officers at Anzalduas International Bridge seized $4,446,000 worth of alleged cocaine in two separate, unrelated incidents this weekend and arrested two Mexican national men and one female associated with the alleged narcotic smuggling violations.

The first seizure occurred on Saturday morning, November 24, when a 2006 silver Honda Civic, occupied by two Mexican citizens from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, arrived at the Anzalduas-Reynosa International Bridge. The driver, a 25-year-old male and a 22-year-old female presented their Mexican border crossing cards. The CBP officer referred them to secondary for further inspection. In secondary, officers discovered 26 packages of alleged cocaine, weighing nearly 69 pounds, hidden within the vehicle. The estimated street value of the cocaine is $2,204,000.

The second seizure occurred on Sunday morning, November 25, at the same border crossing when CBP officers encountered a 2004 silver Volkswagen Touareg. The driver, a 38-year-old male and a 21-year-old female, both from Mexico City, Mexico, presented their Mexican passports with U.S. visas and were subsequently referred to secondary for a more thorough inspection. In secondary, officers discovered 28 packages of alleged cocaine weighing more than 70 pounds, concealed within the vehicle. The estimated street value of the cocaine is $2,242,000.

The adult male traveler in the first incident and both travelers in the second incident were arrested and released to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations agents for further investigation. The narcotics and both vehicles were seized by CBP.

“These were two significant seizures of narcotics that our officers at the Anzalduas Bridge intercepted this weekend,” said Efrain Solis Jr., port director. “The ability to utilize all available tools and resources, and the great teamwork, has enabled us to detect these failed drug smuggling attempts and seize these harmful narcotics from the drug trafficking organizations.”

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 the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/11262012.xml