86 Pounds of Methamphetamine Seized at Texas Border Crossing

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized 86 pounds of methamphetamine estimated to be worth more than $1.7 million during two separate vehicles inspections. The seizures occurred on Wednesday at two different ports of entry in Laredo, Texas. The alleged seizures resulted in the arrests of two Mexican nationals on drug smuggling charges.

In the first incident, CBP officers assigned to the Office of Field Operations (OFO) contacted a male driver in a 2010 Ford Focus at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge. Officers referred the driver to a secondary examination station where a K-9 drug detection officer detected the possible presence of drugs, according to information obtained from CBP officials. The officers also carried out a non-intrusive inspection. After the K-9 alerted to an odor it has been trained to detect, CBP officers discovered three packages containing a total of 63 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the vehicle. Officers arrested the driver and identified him as a 21-year-old male and Mexican citizen who resides in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

During the second seizure, OFO officers contacted a female driver in a 2008 Chevrolet Captiva at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo. Officers referred the driver to a secondary examination station and employed a K-9 drug detection officer. The officers also utilized a non-intrusive inspection, officials stated. After the K-9 alerted to an odor it has been trained to detect, CBP officers discovered a total of 19 packages of methamphetamine concealed within the vehicle weighing a total of 23 pounds. Officers arrested the driver and identified her as a 42-year-old Mexican citizen who resides in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.