EL PASO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry alertly made a 15-pound cocaine seizure yesterday, valued at approximately $480,000.
“Smuggling organizations will use every method imaginable to get narcotics through our international ports of entry,” said Beverly Good, CBP El Paso Port Director. “This seizure compliments the focus and hard work that our officers put forth each and every day.”
The seizure was made at the Paso Del Norte international crossing at approximately 1:20 p.m. after a 1992 Ford F-150 arrived at the port from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection station selected the vehicle for an intensive exam. CBP drug sniffing dog “Frankie” alerted to the rear undercarriage of the truck. CBP officers examined the gas tank and noticed evidence of tampering. CBP officers continued their exam and located a hidden compartment in the gas tank. They removed a total of 12 cocaine-filled bundles. The cocaine had an approximate weight of 15 pounds.
CBP officers arrested the driver, 31-year-old Ramon Gonzalez Garcia, of Acuna, Mexico. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special agents, and arrested on federal charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.
CBP officers at the El Paso port of entry made three additional drug busts during the same period, seizing a total of 1,500.14 pounds of marijuana. CBP officers also identified and apprehended four fugitives.
CBP Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.
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