(TEXAS SCORECARD) – Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection have thwarted the shipment of 124.78 pounds of methamphetamine at the Del Rio International Bridge.
According to a CBP press release, the narcotics had a street value of $1,115,472.
At the Del Rio International Bridge, which is a port of entry into the United States, an officer ordered a second inspection of a 2014 Ford van towing a utility trailer.
Following a detailed inspection, CBP officers found the narcotics—concealed in eight packages—hidden inside the trailer. Both the drugs and the driver were transferred to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office, which has opened an investigation into the crime.
“Unfortunately, this type of event is not out of the ordinary for CBP Officers at our ports of entry (POE),” Secure & Sovereign Texas Campaign Director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Selene Rodriguez told Texas Scorecard. “It’s always a positive event when CBP is able to stop loads like this from coming into the U.S.”
Yet, Rodriguez also warned that large shipments going through points of entry end up becoming a distraction while smugglers transport much larger shipments either in between the entry points or through another lane at the same point.
She also explained that the drug traffickers’ intention is to keep CBP officers and resources preoccupied so that sneaking contraband into the country is made easier elsewhere.
While it does not happen every single time, it happens often enough to be a concern, according to Rodriguez.
“This is why we need our POE’s properly staffed and resourced, and we also need technology and Border Patrol agents able to actually patrol in between POE’s,” Rodriguez continued. “When we are forcing all of our CBP officers and BP agents to be mass processing illegal aliens, we aren’t letting them do their jobs of stopping contraband from coming into the U.S. and protecting our nation.”
Just earlier this month, another $701,000 in narcotics were seized at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry. The total shipment included nearly 70 pounds of methamphetamine and 2.6 pounds of heroin.
The attempted transport of these drugs into the United States was halted by CBP officers at the Camino Real International Bridge in Eagle Pass.