U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas seized $1,233,000 in cocaine and fentanyl in two separate busts on the same day.
- Another $960,500 worth of cocaine hidden inside of a commercial tractor trailer was later intercepted and seized by CBP officers.
- More crime news here.
Federal agents recently intercepted and seized more than $960,000 worth of cocaine at the Texas – Mexico border. The bust was carreid out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) agents at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility on Oct. 21.
According to a Oct. 29 press release, “CBP officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a commercial tractor trailer, arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the conveyance for further inspection, which included utilizing non-intrusive imaging (NII) equipment and screening by a (canine team). After physically inspecting the conveyance, officers discovered 51 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 124.91 pounds (56.66 kg) concealed within the tractor.”
“The commercial environment continues to be an area where we experience a continued drug smuggling threat,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “Our frontline officers continue to remain vigilant and use all available tools and resources to their full potential.”
Related: Colombia’s ‘Most-Feared’ Drug Lord Captured, Accused Of Importing 80 Tons Of Cocaine Into The US
Just a few weeks earler, CBP officers intercepted $1,233,000 in alleged cocaine and fentanyl in two separate incidents on the same day.
Incidents like this at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas are so common that the press releases are basically just cut and paste at this point.
“CBP officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a commercial tractor trailer arriving from Mexico,” reads a Oct. 5 press release. “A CBP officer referred the conveyance for further inspection, which included utilizing non-intrusive imaging (NII) equipment and screening by a (canine team). After physically inspecting the conveyance, officers discovered 35 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 87.74 pounds (39.80 kg) and one package of alleged fentanyl weighing 2.91 pounds (1.32kg) concealed within the tractor.”
Not more than a few hours later, CBP officers another tractor trailer arriving from Mexico was inspected and 39 more packages of cocaine weighing 67.02 pounds (30.40 kg) was discovered concealed within that truck.
“CBP officers intercepted these loads of cocaine and fentanyl thanks to great teamwork and the utilization of all available tools and resources.” said Port Director Rodriguez. “It is important to remember how lethal fentanyl is, and our officers exercise extreme care and utilize personal protective equipment when they encounter any load of narcotics for that reason.”
Approximately 175,000 vehicles cross the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge each month making it a major port of entry at the United States-Mexico border.
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