Latest news with #Cbp
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
California woman allegedly tried to smuggle 151 pounds of marijuana onto international flight
A California woman is accused of trying to smuggle 151 pounds of cannabis onto an international flight, officials announced this week. Diane Bahlawan, 34, was first arrested May 6 at San Francisco International Airport while attempting to board a United Airlines flight to Frankfurt, Germany, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Airport security flagged Bahlawan's four roller bags for appearing unusually heavy. Inside, they reportedly discovered 131 vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis. In addition to the cannabis, authorities also claimed to have seized Bahlawan's cellphone, boarding pass and $960 in cash. Cbp Officers Seize $875K In Marijuana Disguised As A Shipment Of Men's Overalls Bahlawan was charged with burglary and unlawful transport of marijuana, but was released from jail after posting bail. Read On The Fox News App Her initial arraignment in court is scheduled for June 2. "It is unusual for my office to get a marijuana transportation case through the airport that involves [this] much marijuana," San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told Fox News Digital, noting that the U.S. Attorney's Office has equal jurisdiction over cases like these. "They tend to take the big ones and we get the smaller ones," Wagstaffe continued. "So this is a large amount for us to handle. But we are glad to prosecute whatever the Federal authorities leave for us." Cbp Seizes Massive Haul Of 150,000 Illegal Cigarettes From Cruise Passengers In California The district attorney's office indicated that further details of the case will be made public following the suspect's court appearance, according to the Chronicle. Bahlawan's case is not the only one of its kind to come out of California – or San Francisco International Airport – in recent months. In February, a 25-year-old Australian national was arrested at the travel hub on multiple felony charges after she was reportedly caught with 44 pounds of methamphetamine, according to local outlet KTVU. Then, in April, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized roughly 150,000 cigarettes from a couple disembarking at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal after returning from Ensenada, article source: California woman allegedly tried to smuggle 151 pounds of marijuana onto international flight
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
CBP officers seize $875K in marijuana disguised as a shipment of men's overalls
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Baltimore seized $875,000 in marijuana after it was discovered in a shipment disguised as men's overalls. Officers found more than 200 pounds of the psychoactive drug concealed inside 155 vacuum-sealed packages April 29, according to a press release from CBP. The drug-filled packages were being shipped via air cargo to Belgium and were labeled as "brace overalls for men / heavy duty workwear bib." Cbp Seizes Massive Haul Of 150,000 Illegal Cigarettes From Cruise Passengers In California The marijuana, which has a street value of around $875,000 in the U.S., could have a value of two to three times that amount in Europe, depending on its potency, CBP said. Cbp In Texas Confiscates 242 Pounds Of Smuggled Mexican Bologna At Port Of Entry Read On The Fox News App CBP officers noted in the release there's an ongoing trend of transnational criminal organizations trying to ship U.S.-based marijuana overseas to Europe and Africa, where "high-quality weed can fetch huge profits." Cbp Seizes Multiple Weapons Headed For Mexico, Including Ak-style Rifle Taped To Migrant's Bare Chest "Smugglers, including transnational criminal organizations, based in oversaturated marijuana markets, attempt to generate revenue by illegally exporting bulk shipments to markets across the globe," Jason Kropiewnicki, CBP's acting area port director for the Area Port of Baltimore, said in a statement. The incident is being investigated by special agents with Homeland Security Investigation's Border Enforcement Security Task Force, CBP said. Every day last year, CBP officers seized an average of 1,571 pounds of drugs at different ports of entry across the U.S., according to the release. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: CBP officers seize $875K in marijuana disguised as a shipment of men's overalls
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
CBP seizes massive haul of 150,000 illegal cigarettes from cruise passengers in California
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Southern California have reportedly seized a massive haul of illegally imported cigarettes intercepted from two cruise ship passengers last month. Officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport discovered roughly 150,000 cigarettes, stored in 749 cartons across 10 pieces of luggage, from a couple arriving from Ensenada, Mexico, on April 17, according to a CBP press release. Cbp Officers Seize Over $14M Of Alleged Methamphetamine At Southern Border CBP estimated the seizure — which included, but was not limited to, 326 cartons of Newport 100s and 210 cartons of Marlboro Golds — to be worth some $59,920, assuming a low-end selling price of $80 per unit. "This is definitely a big bust," Jaime Ruiz, the CBP's Strategic Media Engagement Branch Chief for most of the Western U.S., told Fox News Digital. Ruiz called it "one of the largest we've seen at the LA:Long Beach seaport complex." The women presented themselves for inspection after disembarking at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal, at which point the cigarette stash was found. Read On The Fox News App Despite providing purchase receipts, they were unable to produce permits for transportation of such a quantity of tobacco products. Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Charged With Narco-terrorism After Authorities Seize 1.65 Tons Of Fentanyl "Selling illegally imported cigarettes could yield high profits for underground vendors due to the low cost of cigarettes when purchased overseas and the evasion of taxes owed upon import," said Africa R. Bell, CBP Port Director of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, according to the release. "This type of scheme not only evades revenue owed to the United States but may be harmful to the American consumer," Bell continued, noting that "CBP officers at our nation's largest seaport complex remain committed to enforcing our laws and to protect the American public." Australian Authorities Intercept Over A Ton Of Cocaine Worth $400M Investigation into the incident may continue, notes FOX 11 Los Angeles, and the women may be subject to penalties for violating import laws. But the "immediate consequence," Ruiz noted, "is that now there is a negative record and, by default, they have incurred a significant loss of nearly $60K." That loss, Ruiz continued, is realized in the seizure and destruction of the cigarettes. "Travelers who intentionally disregard U.S. importation laws and regulations often pay a high price," Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, said in the article source: CBP seizes massive haul of 150,000 illegal cigarettes from cruise passengers in California
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Cornyn bringing bill to enshrine Trump EO renaming refuge after Jocelyn Nungaray into law
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is planning to introduce a bill that would enshrine into law President Donald Trump's executive order to rename a national park after a 12-year-old Houston girl allegedly killed by two illegal immigrants. The bill is being brought forward by Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, to make it more difficult for future administrations, Republican or Democrat, to change the name of the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge. "Jocelyn Nungaray was taken from this world far too soon at the hands of brutal killers who were in the U.S. illegally due to President Biden's open-border policies, and her legacy deserves to live on forever," Cornyn told Fox News Digital. "I am proud to lead this legislation alongside Congressman Babin to ensure President Trump's renaming of this sanctuary to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge is made permanent." Jocelyn Nungaray Murder: Houston Prosecutors Seek Ice, Cbp Records On Illegal Accused Of Child Killing During his joint address to Congress in March, Trump announced the renaming of the 39,000-acre sanctuary, formerly known as the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, along the Texas Gulf Coast. In April, officials held a renaming ceremony for the park. Read On The Fox News App "One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much. She loved nature. Across Galveston Bay, from where Jocelyn lived in Houston, you will find a magnificent national wildlife refuge, a pristine, peaceful, 34,000-acre sanctuary for all of God's creatures on the edge of the Gulf of America," Trump said during his address. The bill would codify the park's new name into law, making the process to change it more difficult. "The heartbreaking murder of Jocelyn Nungaray shook our community to its core, and it never should have happened," Babin said in a statement. "Today, we are introducing legislation to honor Jocelyn's life and to send a clear message: securing our border and restoring the rule of law is not optional, it's essential. President Trump's leadership is making America safe again, and we are proud to stand with him to ensure that no family ever has to endure such a tragedy again." "Honoring Jocelyn isn't a Republican or Democrat issue — it's an American issue," he added. Elyn Nungaray's Mother Reveals Horrific Timeline Of Daughter's Murder In Hearing On Open-border Crime "Ms. Nungaray loved animals and, given the close proximity of her hometown of Houston, it is fitting that the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge be renamed in her honor," the bill's text states. Cornyn said he learned of Nungaray's love of nature while getting to know her family. Nungaray's killing, as well as others involving illegal immigrant suspects, became a flash point during the 2024 presidential election as Trump campaigned on a platform of deporting criminals in the U.S. illegally. Nungaray, who lived in Houston, was kidnapped, sexually assaulted before she was strangled to death and left dead under a bridge in June 2024 by Franklin Pena, 26, and Johan Martinez-Rangel, 22, Harris County prosecutors said. Both men, alleged members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua who entered the United States illegally, face capital murder charges and the death article source: EXCLUSIVE: Cornyn bringing bill to enshrine Trump EO renaming refuge after Jocelyn Nungaray into law
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greg Abbott says daily border crossings in El Paso have plummeted under Trump administration
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says illegal border crossings that were in the thousands under former President Joe Biden have now dropped to the single digits in some areas under President Donald Trump. "I was with some officials from El Paso last night, and they said that where there had been 3,000 people crossing the border, sometimes a day, just in El Paso, there were now nine — nine people a day," Abbott said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC's Joe Kernen on "Squawk Box." Trump launched a crackdown on illegal immigration on his first day back in office after running on fixing Biden's border crisis. He has resumed construction of the border wall, is asking illegal immigrants to "self-deport" by using his administration's CBP Home app to facilitate their removal from the country, and has invoked the Alien Enemies Act, which allows the president to imprison or deport persons who are not citizens. Republican Lawmaker Wrangles With Cnn Host Over Judge Halting Deportation Flights Abbott said the reception illegal immigrants receive once crossing into the country is very different from what it was under Biden. Under Trump, he said, the law is being enforced. "The people who do make it across the border now, they are immediately arrested and then deported, and as a result, discouraging people from entering the border again," the governor said. Read On The Fox News App "We've never seen a change as much as we saw four years ago, and now this year, with regard to what's happening on the border," Abbott said. "What began happening four years ago, of course, was a complete failure to enforce the immigration laws of the United States of America," he added. "And as a result, we saw an all-time record number of people crossing the border illegally, more than 11 million people, including people who are known murderers, rapists and gang members and cartel members. And as a result, the crime across the country skyrocketed." Trump Tells Illegal Immigrants To 'Self-deport' Using Cbp Home App In New Video "Now, in the immediate aftermath of the Trump election and Trump taking office, it's gone from 11 million people across the border illegally to just a trickle, as in, just a handful of people," Abbott article source: Greg Abbott says daily border crossings in El Paso have plummeted under Trump administration
