WASHINGTON: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the PharrInternationalBridge intercepted more than $1.7 million worth of alleged marijuana and cocaine in two separate commercial shipments of fresh produce this weekend at their cargo facility, according to a Monday news release.
The first seizure occurred on Nov. 28 after CBP officers referred a commercial shipment of fresh cucumbers for a secondary inspection. Once on the inspection dock, officers discovered packages of suspected narcotics mixed within the boxes of cucumbers.
Officers removed and seized 6,709 small packages of alleged marijuana which weighed approximately 2,632 pounds and carried an estimated street value of $526,458.
The second seizure occurred hours later at the same border crossing. This interception involved the detection and seizure of 64 packages of alleged cocaine that were concealed within a commercial shipment of fresh carrots. CBP officers discovered and seized approximately 164 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $1,258,000.
In both cases, CBP officers utilized all available tools and resources including a vehicle non-intrusive imaging system and canine enforcement teams. Both cases remain under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, the release states.
