TAXAS: US Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway International Bridge this weekend intercepted a load of alleged cocaine valued at more than $700,000 during a routine examination. CBP officers discovered the alleged cocaine hidden within a Chevrolet Cavalier.
“I applaud the outstanding work by Brownsville Port of Entry’s frontline CBP officers. These dangerous narcotics did not make it beyond our border and reach the streets of our communities in large part because of the great border security work our officers do every day,” said Port Director Petra Horne, Brownsville Port of Entry.
CBP officers working primary at Gateway International Bridge encountered a silver 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier being driven by a man. A CBP officer conducting primary examinations referred the vehicle, its male driver, identified as a 22-year-old Mexican citizen who resides in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico to secondary inspection for further examination. While in secondary, CBP officers discovered 10 hidden packages within the Cavalier. CBP officers removed the packages from the vehicle which held a combined total weight of 22.4 pounds of alleged cocaine.
The alleged cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of approximately $716,800. CBP officers arrested the driver, seized the narcotics and the vehicle and turned the driver over to Homeland Security Investigations special agents for further investigation.
CBP Field Operations at Brownsville Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.
