U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the El Paso Port of Entry in Texas recently made a seizure of 177 pounds of liquid methamphetamine during a single traffic stop.
The incident began as officers encountered a 2009 Ford Econoline van driven by a 38-year old Mexican citizen at the port’s Paso Del Norte International Crossing from Mexico. After a brief round of questioning, the driver was referred for a more thorough secondary inspection.
Using a non-intrusive Z-Portal x-ray scanning system, CBP officers identified a number of anomalies emanating from within the vehicle’s fuel tank.
After removing the fuel tank, officers discovered a total of 64 one-liter plastic bottles that were filled with a substance that tested positive for properties of methamphetamine.
The driver was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit for criminal processing. Both the narcotics and van were seized by CBP officers.
“This is a large amount of a very dangerous drug,” El Paso Port Director Beverly Good said. “We are working hard every day to stop the flow of drugs and other dangerous items.”
CBP is the unified border agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tasked with ensuring the management, control, and protection of the nation’s borders.