Customs and Border Protection seize $600k of meth, arrest imposter at Hidalgo Port of Entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo Port of Entry recently seized alleged methamphetamine valued at approximately $600,000 and arrested a man from El Salvador attempting entry posing as a U.S. citizen in separate, unrelated incidents.

“This was an outstanding hard narcotic seizure and another great detection of an attempt to gain entry to our country posing as a U.S. citizen,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry, said. “Our officers’ attention to detail leads to outstanding interceptions.”

On Jan. 18, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a white 2009 Kenworth tractor-trailer, which they referred to secondary inspection. In secondary, CBP officers discovered eight packages containing approximately 32 pounds of alleged methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $639,334.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics and the conveyance, arrested the driver and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.

On Jan. 19, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a 25-year-old man traveling as a pedestrian. The man applied for admission into the United States and indicated that he was a U.S. citizen and presented a U.S. birth certificate and Social Security card as proof of citizenship and identity.

The primary CBP officer referred the man to Passport Control Secondary (PCS) for further inspection. System checks of national law enforcement databases revealed that he is an El Salvador national who was previously removed in 2014. He was then taken into custody for violations of U.S. immigration law.