C.B.P. News Release

Southern California Port Officers Seized 36 Pounds Of Cocaine From Local Mexicali Resident

(Wednesday, August 31, 2011)

Calexico, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico downtown port of entry seized 36 pounds of cocaine Tuesday from a vehicle driven by a 38-year-old male Mexican citizen from Mexicali, Baja California.

The seizure occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on August 30, when officers with the port’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (A-TCET) were conducting inspections of vehicles and travelers and targeted a white Ford F-250 pick-up truck. Officers utilizing a density measuring device detected anomalies to the undercarriage of the bed area and referred both driver and vehicle for further examination.

An intensive inspection that included a canine screening led officers to the discovery of 16 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside two non-factory wooden beams located in the undercarriage area of the pickup bed frame. The street value of the cocaine is worth approximately $324,000.

CBP officers arrested the driver and turned him over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further processing.

CBP placed an immigration hold on the Mexican citizen to initiate removal from the United States at the conclusion of his criminal proceedings.

CBP seized the cocaine and vehicle.

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.

Contacts For This News Release
John Campos
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (760) 768-2625

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/new ... 2011_5.xml