EL PASO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the El Paso port of entry made seven drug busts Wednesday seizing 9.8 pounds of cocaine and 551 pounds of marijuana in the enforcement actions.
“This was a very busy day for CBP officers at the El Paso port and serves as a reminder that the drug smuggling threat remains significant in our area,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Beverly Good.
CBP officers working at the Paso Del Norte made a 9.8 pound cocaine seizure after a 1994 Dodge Ram 2500 entered the country from Mexico shortly before 10 a.m. A CBP officer at the primary inspection booth selected the vehicle for a secondary exam after the driver appeared nervous during the initial interview.Cocaine filled bundles recovered from van.
CBP officers scanned the vehicle with the Z-Portal x-ray system and noticed anomalies in the appearance of the van. CBP drug sniffing dog “Sita” searched the van and alerted to the side panels. CBP officers continued their exam and located four cocaine-filled bundles in a non-factory compartment. The estimated street value of the seized cocaine is $313,600.
CBP officers arrested the driver of the van, 36-year-old Jorge Javier Longoria Guerrero of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt.
CBP officers working at the El Paso port made six additional drug seizures on Wednesday confiscating 551 pounds of marijuana in those busts. The estimated street value of the seized marijuana is $440,800.
