Authorities say the contraband has a street value of $2,906,000.
The 44-year-old was hiding the narcotics in the tires of a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and attempting to smuggle them across the Hidalgo International Bridge, according to a CBP press release.
Carlos Rodriguez, the port director for the Port of Hidalgo, Pharr, and Anzalduas, underscored that drug trafficking continues even over the holidays.
“Just as smugglers continue their illicit activities during the holidays, our officers at [the Office of Field Operations] also sustain a proactive enforcement posture aimed at preventing dangerous drugs and unreported currency from crossing our borders,” Rodriguez said.
In conjunction with announcing the Houston suspect’s arrest, CBP also stated that they apprehended a Mexican man, who was living in Illinois as a lawful permanent resident, after they caught him bringing $188,797 of undeclared cash into Texas.
In similar news, an 18-year-old American man is in custody after CBP says he tried to smuggle 11 pounds of methamphetamine across the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville.
In the final days of President Trump’s administration, about 452 miles of the border wall has been completed, using approximately 681,000 cubic tons of steel and 971,000 cubic yards of concrete, according to current CBP figures.
The border wall is among other controversial measures the Trump administration has implemented as the White House has emphasized border security throughout the president’s tenure to combat illegal trafficking as well as the spread of COVID-19.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."