The first incident took place on Wednesday, December 1, at the Los Indios International Bridge when a 42-year-old man driving a 2009 Dodge vehicle was pinged for secondary inspection. CBP indicated that 24 pounds of alleged cocaine were found in 10 packages. The suspect is an American citizen who lives in San Benito.
The two other occurrences took place the next day. On Thursday, December 2, border guards at the Matamoros International Bridge apprehended a 47-year-old man driving a 2000 Ford vehicle after allegedly discovering about 21 pounds of cocaine in nine containers.
Agents at the Gateway International Bridge also arrested a 23-year-old woman, an American citizen from Laguna Vista, for allegedly transporting 17 pounds of methamphetamine in 13 packages in a 2011 Dodge vehicle.
CBP stated that the drugs in the first seizure were estimated to be worth $186,600, the narcotics in the second seizure were worth $161,160, and the contraband from the Gateway International Bridge incident was worth $333,776.
Brownsville Port of Entry Director Tater Ortiz commented on the confiscations, “Our officers use multiple enforcement tools to detect dangerous narcotics and prevent these deadly drugs from entering our country.”
According to CBP statistics, in the southwestern U.S. there were 33,530 pounds of illegal drugs seized in October, the most recent month data is available. That includes 16,040 pounds of methamphetamine, 12,278 pounds of marijuana, 4,021 pounds of cocaine, 1,044 pounds of fentanyl, and 147 pounds of heroin.
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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."
