Brownsville CBP Officers Seize $749K Worth of Narcotics in Two Seizures

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry intercepted alleged narcotics in two separate enforcement actions that have a combined estimated street value of $749,825.

“Our CBP officers remain vigilant in their duties to secure our borders and their dedication led to these significant narcotics seizures,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.

The first seizure took place on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Veterans International Bridge when a 21-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2015 Ford. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive imaging system (NII) and a canine unit, CBP officers discovered 27 packages hidden within the 2015 Ford. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 29.36 pounds of alleged methamphetamine.

The second seizure took place on Wednesday, Aug. 4, also at the Veterans International Bridge when a 31-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2006 Dodge. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. In secondary, with the aid of a canine unit, CBP officers discovered nine packages hidden within the 2006 Dodge. CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 21.07 pounds of alleged cocaine.

The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizures is approximately $587,305 and $162,520 respectively.

CBP officers seized the narcotics and vehicles, arrested the travelers, and turned them over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.