Smuggler suspect going to court

By ERIKA LAMBRETON
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:10 AM CDT

A man authorities say crashed a Suburban loaded with illegal drugs into a tollbooth at the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge on Tuesday morning is expected to go before a magistrate to face charges today.

The man, whose name was not released, was trying a "port run," said Port Director Gene Garza.

He had three children in the vehicle and three adults.

"This is a clear case of a port runner," Garza said. "He did not have any intention of stopping."

The children, two girls and a boy, ages 6, 8 and 9, were released to the Mexican Consulate, which, in turn, released the kids to Mexican welfare authorities, according to Mexican officials.

Garza said the Suburban was headed northbound into Laredo through a closed southbound lane.

As he crashed through the arm barricading the closed lane, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents gave chase.

Officials said the driver panicked and made a U-turn, heading back toward Mexico, this time trying to get through another closed lane.

An employee, who was about to open the lane for the day, noticed the vehicle heading toward him and jumped out of the way just before the Suburban crashed into the employee's tollbooth.

CBP agents took the driver and passengers into custody.

Garza refused to release any information regarding identities, ages, relationships or whether the passengers were male or female, saying that would be released today.

Raul Navarro Solis, the Nuevo Laredo/Tamaulipas attorney who oversees cases involving minors, said the children are from Nuevo Laredo.

He said they were turned over to Mexican authorities because their father was being held on drug charges as a result of the alleged port-running incident Tuesday morning.

It was unclear whether the Suburban's driver was their father.

Navarro Solis said authorities were searching Tuesday afternoon for relatives of the children. Meanwhile, they are in the government's care.

At the news conference, Garza said all of the individuals in the Suburban were undocumented.

Earlier in the day, Mucia Dovalina, CBP spokeswoman, said that the Suburban was "loaded with narcotics."

"We estimate that around 800 to 1,200 pounds of contraband (was in the Suburban in) large bundles," Dovalina said.

The Suburban, which was scanned for further evidence, was taken to a local impound lot, she said.

According to witnesses, there was no traffic heading southbound on the bridge when the incident occurred, at about 7 a.m.

Northbound lanes, as usual at that time of day, were filled with commuters, including many people taking their children to school.

That's of particular concern when it comes to port running, Garza said.

"These people have no regard for their lives or the lives of others," Garza said about people who try to run past Customs officials at the bridge.

He said the port runners pose a risk to not only parents, children and others crossing the bridge, but also agents and city bridge employees.

"In 2007, we had a total of six attempted port runners," Garza said. "And about two years ago we had another incident."

That one also ended in a crash, he said.

In September, Garza added, U.S. Customs and Border Protection began a campaign to bring about public awareness of the risks posed by port runners.

"We don't want the public to put themselves in danger," Garza said. "When they see something like this, they should move out of the way so that officers can intercept the vehicle.

"We will not tolerate port runners," he said. "It is a very dangerous situation, and that's why we want the public to use extreme caution when they see this type of activity.

"No one's life is worth being sacrificed for any amount of drugs."

(LMT Staff Writer Miguel Timoshenkov contributed to this report. To reach Erika Lambreton, call 728-2567 or e-mail erika@lmtonline.com)

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