Officers seize 78 pounds of cocaine at Laredo Port of Entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized an alleged $601,000 in cocaine in one enforcement action at the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge, which connects Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

After a CBP officer referred a 2008 Volvo commercial for further inspection, a canine and nonintrusive inspection of the commercial bus uncovered a total of 30 packages allegedly containing 78 pounds of cocaine. The bus was being driven by a 42-year-old-male Mexican citizen from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

“The layered enforcement strategy implemented by CBP is a key component that contributes to the interception of narcotics at our port of entry,” Gregory Alvarez, port director at the Laredo Port of Entry, said. “I commend the officers for their hard work and commitment to keeping these dangerous narcotics off our streets.”

CBP officers seized the commercial bus and the alleged cocaine. The driver was arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.