PHARR: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted approximately two tons of marijuana discovered within commercial conveyances arriving from Mexico, in two separate, unrelated incidents.
“Our officers successfully detected, seized and kept from crossing into the U.S. these tremendous loads of narcotics,” said Acting Port Director Javier Cantu, Hidalgo/Pharr/ Anzalduas Port of Entry. “These seizures were accomplished due to great team work and the excellent commitment by our officers to help in the fight against drugs.”
The first seizure occurred on Aug. 28 after CBP officers working at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a commercial shipment of frozen mango pulp arriving from Mexico. CBP officers referred the conveyance for a non-intrusive imaging system inspection and subsequently referred it for further examination on the inspection dock. With the assistance of all available tools and resources, including a canine unit, officers discovered packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the buckets of the frozen fruit. Ultimately, officers removed and seized a total of 2,296 packages of alleged marijuana weighing approximately 2,669 pounds with an estimated street value of $534,000.
The second seizure occurred on Aug. 31, at the same border crossing and this was accomplished after CBP officers referred a commercial tractor/trailer arriving from Mexico for a secondary examination. This conveyance was also examined with a vehicle non-intrusive imaging system and after further inspection, officers discovered 1,603 packages of alleged marijuana hidden within the conveyance. CBP OFO removed the narcotics which weighed approximately 1,080 pounds with an estimated street value of $216,000.
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