Alleged murder suspects, cocaine, and cash defined some of the Customs and Border Patrol busts on the Texas border this week.

Here are the three biggest apprehensions that nearly every other national media outlet missed:

1. BORDER BUSTED: Teen Wanted for Capital Murder Nabbed at Bridge

An 18-year-old Texas fugitive wanted for capital murder was arrested while trying to cross into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, according to Customs and Border Protection.

CBP tweeted on May 7, “CBP officers in Eagle Pass, TX took custody of an 18yo fugitive with a felony warrant for capital murder charges and turned him over to the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office.”

 

A CBP press release announced that its agents at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry took custody of Aden Jeremiah Munoz, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen with an outstanding felony warrant for capital murder by terror threat/first-degree homicide. The agency said Munoz was a passenger in a car driven by another U.S. citizen attempting to enter the U.S. on April 30.

During a secondary inspection at the Eagle Pass International Bridge, CBP officers reportedly flagged Munoz and turned him over to the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office. The charges stem from a homicide investigation in Austin.

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According to police reports published by FOX 7 Austin, Munoz is suspected in the April 27 killing of 38-year-old Nicholas Taylor in North Austin. Officers reportedly found Taylor dead from a gunshot wound; witnesses told police Taylor had been pulled from his vehicle and shot before the suspect fled.

Munoz was one of several people charged in the May 2024 murder, Fox reported.

“This apprehension underscores our unwavering commitment to keeping our borders secure and our communities safe,” said Pete Beattie, Port Director in Eagle Pass, in a CBP news release.

The agency noted that its officers use the National Crime Information Center database to screen travelers, adding that officers have previously apprehended individuals wanted for serious crimes, including homicide, narcotics trafficking, and sexual child abuse.

2. QTAR COKE BUST: Border Cops Sniff Out $1.2M in Cocaine

Two U.S. citizens were arrested after federal agents said they found 17 bundles of cocaine—worth an estimated $1.27 million—hidden in a semi-truck at a Texas checkpoint.

Gloria Chavez, the chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, posted images of the seizure on social media:

Photos posted by Chavez show what appear to be large plastic-wrapped parcels bearing the handwritten word “QTAR” lined up next to a baby-blue semi-truck. The drugs were reportedly concealed in compartments that agents cut open during inspection.

Authorities say the drugs tested positive as cocaine; however, no further details about the alleged trafficking operation have been made public. CBP and Border Patrol have not disclosed where the shipment was headed or how long it may have been in transit.

3. CASHED OUT: Feds Say Mexicans Tried to Smuggle $184K in a $22K Fiat

Federal border officials say they caught a Mexican couple attempting to smuggle more than eight times the value of their vehicle in undeclared cash across the border.

CBP agents at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge seized $184,095 in unreported U.S. currency during a May 2 outbound inspection, according to a press release issued May 5. The suspects were reportedly driving a 2022 Fiat, which, according to Kelley Blue Book, is typically valued at around $22,000, depending on condition and model.

A 32-year-old Mexican man was driving the vehicle, and a 33-year-old Mexican woman was riding as a passenger. CBP says it discovered $148,610 in bulk cash hidden inside the car, another $5,485 on the driver, and $30,000 strapped to the woman’s body.

“It is not a crime to carry more than $10,000,” the agency said in the release, “but it is a federal offense not to declare currency or monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or more… or to conceal it with intent to evade reporting requirements.”

The vehicle and cash were seized, and both individuals were arrested. Homeland Security Investigations is leading the ongoing investigation, according to CBP.

Port Director Tater Ortiz praised his officers, saying their “vigilance and attention to detail led to this significant currency seizure.”

No further details about the money’s origin or intended use have been released. Neither CBP nor HSI has stated whether the money is tied to a broader smuggling or laundering operation.