Thread: Officers seize almost four pounds of crystal methamphetamine

Officers seize almost four pounds of crystal methamphetamine
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January 2, 2009 - 8:41 PM
By Ildefonso Ortiz
The Brownsville Herald
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly four pounds of crystal methamphetamine at Gateway International Bridge.

Mark Wiley Eaves 28, of Gainesville, Texas, was charged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

The seizure took place at 4 p.m. Tuesday when Eaves, driving a 1996 Ford F-150, pulled up to an inspection booth, where he was sent to a secondary inspection, according to a CBP press release.

A copy of the criminal complaint filed in federal court revealed that during secondary inspection, Eaves claimed his purpose of being south of the border had been to spend three days drinking and partying. Upon further questioning by CBP, the suspect was not able to provide a logical explanation for his visit to Mexico.

An inspection by officers revealed that the engine had been tampered with and a narcotic detecting canine "Demi" was used to determine the presence of narcotics, the release said.

According to the complaint, a search of the engine turned up a PVC pipe and two small bags filled with nearly four pounds of narcotics. According to CBP, the street value of the crystal meth is nearly $60,000.

Eaves was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. The criminal complaint stated Eaves was hired to drive the truck into Mexico where he met with unknown individuals on Dec. 29. The individuals took the truck while Eaves went for drinks at a Matamoros cantina. The next day Eaves took the truck and attempted to cross. The complaint stated that Eaves was going to receive $1,800 to transport the load to Houston via Brownsville and Rio Grande City as he had done six to seven previous times since Nov. 2008. The document stated that in the previous attempts the narcotics were smuggled in tennis shoes, leather boots and engine compartments. Eaves remained in custody.

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