EL PASO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at El Paso area ports of entry made a dozen drug seizures this weekend. CBP officers seized 634 pounds of marijuana in 11 enforcement actions and less than an ounce of heroin in another seizure.
“CBP officers are working hard every day to stop the flow of illegal contraband at our ports of entry,” said Hector Mancha, CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations “Homeland security is our priority and the inspections we perform often uncover drug smuggling attempts.”CBP officers weigh drugs removed from hidden compartment.
The largest seizures of the weekend occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. June 4 at the Bridge of the Americas international crossing in El Paso. A CBP officer working the primary inspection station encountered a lone female driving a 2008 Dodge Caravan. During the primary interview the CBP officer noted anomalies in the appearance of the vehicle and the nervous demeanor of the driver. The CBP officer selected the vehicle for a secondary exam.
CBP drug sniffing dog “Jacks” searched the car and alerted to drugs in the floor of the van. CBP officers scanned the vehicle with the Z-portal x-ray system and spotted anomalies in the appearance of the vehicle. CBP officers continued their exam and located 178 marijuana filled bundles in the floor of the van. The drugs weighed 193 pounds.
CBP officers arrested the driver, 28-year-old Claudia Elena Gonzalez Gonzalez of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special agents to face charges associated with the failed drug smuggling attempt.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.
