Nov. 23, 2007, 10:55PM
$4 million of drugs confiscated on Texas border


Associated Press

EAGLE PASS — Agents stationed at the port of entry seized nearly $4 million worth of drugs this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday.

In all, Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated 125 pounds of cocaine and 27 pounds of marijuana over seven days, the agency said.

The largest cocaine seizure happened shortly before 8 a.m. Monday at Camino Real International Bridge. A dog alerted officers to the scent of narcotics in the rear floor of a sports utility vehicle, helping them find 78 pounds worth of cocaine hidden in a compartment.

CBP officers arrested the driver, Salvador Gomez Jr., a U.S. citizen who lives in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Gomez was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who are investigating the seizure.

CBP officers used similar techniques to discover 19 pounds of cocaine in bundles in the rear seat of a car. They arrested Ramon Ortiz Flores, 24, a Mexican citizen from San Antonio, and turned him over to ICE agents.

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