Secret Compartments Exposed: How CBP Stopped Two Major Cocaine Smugglers
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped two more big cocaine smuggling attempts at Texas ports of entry this week, seizing a combined total of more than 43 pounds of white powder, with an estimated street value exceeding $800,000.
At the Ysleta Port of Entry near El Paso, CBP officers on May 28 found 20 pounds of cocaine concealed within a vehicle driven by a 22-year-old U.S. citizen. Officers found some irregularities during an inspection of the car, leading to the discovery of hidden compartments in the dashboard hiding the cocaine.
Meanwhile, at the Laredo Port of Entry, CBP officers seized 23 pounds of cocaine hidden in a 2010 Ford F-150 driven by a 51-year-old U.S. citizen. The incident occurred at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge on May 26 after officers referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection and a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics. The packages, concealed in the vehicle's firewall and dashboard, had a street value estimated at $318,497.
'The combination of officer experience, canine enforcement, tools and technology all play a role in stopping drugs at our ports of entry,' said CBP Ysleta Port Director Arnie Gomez. 'This case illustrates how the various layers of enforcement CBP employs are an effective strategy in stopping contraband at the border.'
Both cases are still under investigation by Homeland Security.
These two cocaine busts last week in The Lone Star state are just a drop in the bucket.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, officers intercepted another cocaine smuggling operation near El Paso at the Bridge of the Americas last week.
During that bust, 45.2 pounds of cocaine was discovered, enough to cause tens of thousands of overdoses. The drugs were hidden in a vehicle driven by a U.S. citizen on May 27. In total, officers uncovered 19 bundles of cocaine hidden in the vehicle's compartments and arrested the woman driving. She was then handed over to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office on felony charges.
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