US CBP officers seize over $1.2 million in cocaine at the Pharr International Bridge

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted $1,280,000 worth of alleged cocaine concealed in a tractor trailer.  

“The criminal element continues to attempt to exploit the cargo environment to smuggle illegal substances into the country, but our CBP officers remain vigilant and use available tools and resources to find and stop smuggling attempts,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.

On September 1, 2023, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a tractor trailer arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection which included utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment. Physical inspection of the tractor trailer resulted in officers extracting 41 packages weighing a total of 96.51 pounds (43.78 kg) of alleged cocaine concealed within the tractor trailer.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics and tractor trailer and special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) initiated a criminal investigation.