WASHINGTON: Pounds of cocaine hidden deep inside a vehicle’s fuel tank were seized Sunday by officers at the Bridge of the Americas, officials said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized about 27 pounds of cocaine at about noon Sunday after a 44-year-old woman attempted to enter the U.S. through the international crossing in a 2006 Nissan Frontier, customs officials said. Officers selected the vehicle for secondary inspection after they noticed “several issues during the preliminary interview” with the woman, officials said. The vehicle was inspected and a fiber optic scope was used to look inside the fuel tank, allegedly revealing a metal box hidden in the tank.
The fuel tank was removed and officers allegedly found 10 bundles of cocaine inside the metal box, officials said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to face charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. “Smugglers spent considerable time and effort to conceal this shipment,” CBP El Paso Port Director Beverly Good said in a statement. “Because of the hard work of diligent and dedicated CBP officers this shipment did not reach its intended destination.”
