Brownsville CBP Officers Seize $357K in Narcotics in Three Seizures
BROWNSVILLE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry intercepted alleged narcotics in three separate enforcement actions that have a combined estimated street value of $357,000.
Packages containing nearly 28 pounds of cocaine seized by CBP officers at Brownsville Port of Entry.
“Our officers remain committed to the security of our borders and the mission of CBP. Their experience and attention to detail led to these seizures,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.
The first seizure took place on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Gateway International Bridge when a 20-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas applied for entry into the United States driving a 2012 Chrysler. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive imaging system (NII), CBP officers discovered five packages hidden within the 2012 Chrysler which contained a total of 11.64 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The second seizure took place on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge when a 35-year-old male United States citizen from Houston, Texas, applied for entry into the United States as the driver of a 2015 Chrysler. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a canine unit, CBP officers discovered three packages hidden within the 2015 Chrysler which contained a total of 6.7 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The third seizure took place on Sunday, Feb. 14, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge when a 28-year-old female United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States as the driver of a 2005 Chrysler. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a canine unit, CBP officers discovered 12 packages hidden within the 2005 Chrysler which contained a total of 27.95 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizures is approximately $89,760, $51,680 and $215,560 respectively.
CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the vehicles, arrested the drivers and turned them over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.