U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers stationed at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry in Texas recently seized more than $480,000 worth of alleged cocaine in separate incidents.
On Oct. 24, officers assigned to the port’s Pharr International Bridge encountered a 2007 Dodge Caliber SUV driven by a 26-year old female with a 28-year old female passenger, both of whom were citizens of Mexico. After a brief round of questioning, the vehicle was referred for a more thorough, secondary inspection.
Using a non-intrusive imaging system and a narcotics-detection canine team, the officers discovered 15 plastic-wrapped packages containing 38.27 pounds of alleged cocaine within the vehicle. The narcotics carried an approximate street value of $295,120.
Hours later, the officers encountered a 2008 Chrysler Sebring sedan driven by a 30-year old male U.S. citizen. After a more thorough secondary inspection was conducted, the officers discovered an additional 10 packages containing 24.47 pounds of cocaine, which carried an estimated street value of $188,700.
“Our officers have prevented a significant amount of hard narcotics from getting to their intended destination, ever vigilant in upholding the CBP mission,” Interim Port Director Donna Sifford said.
The drivers and passenger were subsequently turned over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit for criminal processing. CBP seized all narcotics along with the vehicles.