C.B.P. News Release

CBP Officers at El Paso Port Seize $7 Million Worth of Marijuana

(Thursday, April 09, 2009)

El Paso, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry yesterday seized 9,084 pounds of marijuana in a single bust Wednesday. The drugs were hidden in a commercial shipment of auto parts. The estimated street value of the seized marijuana is $7,267,200.

The seizure occurred shortly before noon Wednesday at the commercial cargo facility at the Ysleta international crossing. A CBP officer referred for enhanced screening a 1995 GMC tractor that had entered the bridge through the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) lane hauling a 1999 Utility trailer laden with a shipment of auto parts. A scan indicated anomalies within the shipment causing CBP officers to conduct an intensive examination that revealed bundles commingled with the shipment of auto parts. CBP officers removed 6,640 bundles containing a total of 9,084 pounds of marijuana from the trailer.

CBP officers at the Ysleta, Texas international crossing near El Paso yesterday uncovered more than 6,000 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 9,000 pounds. The drugs were hidden in a shipment of auto parts.

“In order to maintain the integrity of the FAST program, CBP officers will verify that the system is not compromised by smuggling organization through targeted and random exams,â€