TEXAS: US Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operation officers working at the El Paso port of entry made three marijuana seizures. CBP officer’s confiscated 185 pounds of the drug in the trio of busts.CBP officers discover a drug load in floor of a van.
“CBP officers are hard at work and remain vigilant in the efforts to identify and stop any illegal activity at area ports of entry,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Beverly Good.
The largest of the three seizures was made at the Ysleta international crossing when a 2002 Chevrolet Venture van entered the port from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection booth selected the vehicle for a secondary exam after noting that the driver was nervous during their initial conversation.
CBP officers screened the vehicle with the Z-Portal x-ray system and spotted an anomaly in the floor. CBP drug sniffing dog “Jerry” searched the vehicle and alerted to the floor. CBP officers continued their exam and located a trap door in the floor leading to a hidden compartment. CBP officers removed 38 marijuana-filled bundles weighing 70.8 pounds form the compartment.CBP officer weigh drug load removed from vehicle at El Paso port.
CBP officers arrested the driver, 21-year-old Liz Abigail Martos Chavez of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations special agents to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt.
