U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a press release that officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry seized an estimated street value of $1,671,950 of alleged cocaine over three consecutive days. The three separate seizures total 216.81 pounds of drugs.
The first incident occurred on February 10 at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge. A forty-eight-year-old woman from Brownsville, a U.S. citizen, applied to enter the United States while driving a 2010 Ford.
Following a preliminary inspection, CBP officers requested a second inspection with the assistance of a canine unit. Three packages of alleged cocaine, weighing a total of 6.7 pounds, were found inside the vehicle. The narcotics had an estimated street value of $52,190.
The second seizure occurred at the Veterans International Bridge on February 11. A twenty-seven-year-old male, a U.S. citizen from Brownsville, was driving a 2011 Ford when he was detained for a second vehicle inspection using a canine unit and a non-intrusive imaging system (NII). CBP officers uncovered ten packages of alleged cocaine, weighing 22.35 pounds, with an estimated street value of $172,380.
The following day, February 12, two Mexican citizens in a 2015 Ford were stopped for two inspections involving a canine unit and NII. The thirty-two-year-old male is from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and the forty-year-old woman is from Chilpancingo, Guerrero.
Seventy-seven packages of alleged cocaine were found inside the vehicle, with a total weight of 187.70 pounds and an estimated street value of $1,447,380.
All individuals were arrested and are currently in the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents. There is no further information about the ones apprehended or possible charges against them.
Tater Ortiz, Port Director of Brownsville Port of Entry, stated, “Our officers remain committed to keeping our border secure and using their experience and keen observation skills to discover these dangerous drugs and keep them from reaching our streets.”