CBP Seizes 400+ Counterfeit Credit Cards at Santa Teresa Port

(Wednesday, May 09, 2012)

Santa Teresa, N.M. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized 422 counterfeit credit cards and gift cards Tuesday night. Two people from Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico were arrested in in the case.

CBP officers found that one person was carrying 411 fraudulent cards and 11 additional counterfeit cards being carried by another person.

“Homeland security is our primary mission however the anti-terrorism operations we perform do routinely and frequently uncover other violations,” said CBP Santa Teresa Port Director Joanne Thale-Lembo. “Every violation we stop at the border is important to the overall security of our nation.”

The seizure was made just before 8 p.m. Tuesday night when a 2011 Ford Focus entered the port from Mexico. CBP officers initiated a search of the vehicle and occupants. CBP officers found that one person was carrying 411 fraudulent cards and 11 additional counterfeit cards being carried by another person. CBP officers contacted U.S. Secret Service agents who responded to the port of entry and took custody of the pair. Federal prosecution was accepted. The two are slated to make their initial appearance in federal court in Las Cruces Thursday.

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

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

Department of Homeland Security

CBP Seizes 400+ Counterfeit Credit Cards at Santa Teresa Port - CBP.gov