El Paso US CBP Officers Make Multiple Drug Busts
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Port of El Paso stopped four narcotic smuggling attempts in the span of two days.
“These recent seizures show that there are no boundaries when it comes to drug smuggling,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. “Because smugglers can be teens, adults or pretty much anyone in between, means that CBP officers must remain vigilant to identify and stop these threats.”
The first interception occurred on Feb. 1 at the Paso Del Norte border crossing. CBP Officers encountered a 51-year-old female, U.S. citizen who arrived from Mexico via the pedestrian lanes. The woman was referred for a secondary inspection where a CBP canine alerted to the odor of narcotics, followed by a pat down search which resulted in the discovery of two bundles strapped to the abdomen containing 2.38 pounds of fentanyl.
The next two seizures occurred Feb. 2 at the Bridge of the Americas border crossing.
Shortly before 1:00 p.m. CBP officers encountered a 19-year-old male U.S. citizen who arrived from Mexico via pedestrian. The individual was referred for a secondary inspection where a CBP canine alerted to the odor of narcotics, followed by a pat down search which resulted in the discovery of .36 pounds of fentanyl concealed in the groin area.
Approximately two hours later, CBP officers encountered a 31-year-old female, U.S. citizen who arrived from Mexico via the vehicle lanes. The woman was referred for a secondary inspection where a pat down search was conducted leading CBP officers to locate fentanyl concealed in the groin area. An intensive search of the vehicle also resulted in the discovery of additional fentanyl-filled balloons for a combined weight of 1.37 pounds.
The final Feb. 2 bust occurred shortly after 7:00 p.m. at the Paso Del Norte border crossing. CBP officers encountered a 19-year-old female, U.S. citizen who arrived from Mexico via the vehicle lanes. The woman was referred for a secondary inspection of the vehicle where a CBP canine and a non-intrusive (x-ray) scan led CBP officers to locate 21.29 pounds of methamphetamine and 58.64 pounds of marijuana.
The subjects arrested by CBP officers were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for prosecution.