EL PASO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the El Paso port of entry made a 12.2 pound cocaine seizure Tuesday. A 34-year-old female U.S. citizen from Albuquerque was taken into custody. The estimated street value of the seized contraband is $390,400.
“The thorough homeland security inspections CBP officers perform often generate other enforcement activity,” said Beverly Good, CBP El Paso Port Director. “During the first two days of the week CBP officers have identified 12 drug loads seizing 576 pounds of marijuana, 12.2 pounds of cocaine and 1.2 pounds of methamphetamine.”Cocaine bundles visible in hidden compartment.
The cocaine seizure was made just before 9 a.m. when a 2004 Ford Taurus with a lone driver arrived at the Ysleta international crossing from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection station selected the vehicle for a secondary exam. CBP drug sniffing dog “Tiran” searched the car and alerted to the upper trunk area of the vehicle. CBP officers scanned the vehicle with the Z-portal x-ray system and spotted an anomaly in the area between the rear seat and trunk. CBP officers continued their exam and located a compartment behind the rear set. A total of five cocaine-filled bundles were removed from the compartment.
CBP officers arrested the driver, Francis Jaramillo, of Albuquerque, New 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.
