U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry recently seized cocaine with an estimated street value of $1,432,355 in two separate incidents.
“Our CBP officers work diligently to keep our borders secure and use many law enforcement tools to perform their duties which led to these significant drug seizures,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.
The first seizure occurred on Friday, January 24th, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge. A 22-year-old U.S. citizen residing in McAllen, Texas, attempted to enter the U.S. in a 2008 Toyota. Following a primary inspection, the vehicle was referred to secondary inspection. A canine unit assisted officers in discovering 40 packages of cocaine hidden within the vehicle, weighing a total of 91.44 pounds and valued at approximately $1,221,005.
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The second seizure also took place on Friday, January 24th, at the Gateway International Bridge. A 27-year-old Mexican citizen residing in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, attempted to enter the U.S. in a 2014 Chevrolet. During a secondary inspection, a non-intrusive inspection system (NII) helped officers discover one package of cocaine hidden within the vehicle. This package weighed 15.82 pounds and has an estimated street value of $211,350.
CBP officers seized the narcotics and the vehicles involved in both incidents. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested the drivers and have initiated criminal investigations.
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