Another border pot bust; drug concealment getting elaborate

04:07 PM Mountain Standard Time on Friday, December 14, 2007



EL PASO, Texas -- The following is a press release from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers performing anti-terror inspections at ports of entry in El Paso, West Texas and New Mexico made 38 drug seizures this week, confiscating 4,654 pounds of marijuana in 36 busts and a small amount of cocaine in two additional seizures.


While many of the drug seizures were consistent with what CBP officers normally see, there were several drug cases where smugglers attempted to conceal their contraband in unusual ways. Concealment methods encountered this week included marijuana packed in jars of jalapenos, encased in holiday candles, hidden in boxes of floor tile, within a transmission transfer case, and in a shipment of furniture. Some of the more common locations where drugs were found in vehicles this week include car seats, quarter panels, bumpers, floor, cargo storage area, trunk, spare tire, roof, fuel tank, truck bed and dashboard. CBP officers also discovered drugs within the pockets and socks of people crossing the border.


“While most smuggling cases involve concealments that we have consistently encountered over the years, the smugglers are creative and will sometimes try something new to catch us off guard,â€