Officers Seize Nearly $2 Million in Cocaine, Heroin at Brownsville Port of Entry

April 19, 2010 - Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge seized approximately $1,992,800 worth of cocaine and heroin discovered in three separate enforcement actions this past weekend.

On Friday, April 16, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge, a primary inspection of a grey 2008 Volkswagen Crossfox driven by a 58-year-old Mexican male who resides in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico by CBP officers resulted in the driver and vehicle being referred for a secondary examination. At secondary, CBP officers discovered 12 packages concealed within the vehicle. CBP officers’ examination of the packages revealed seven packages to contain a combined weight of 8.15 kilograms (18 pounds) of cocaine and five packages were determined to have 5.70 kilograms (12.6 pounds) of heroin.

The second and third cases this weekend also occurred at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge when two male U.S. citizens arrived at the port of entry as pedestrians. The first male, a 39-year-old, and the second, a 33-year-old, both residents of Houston, Texas, were selected for a secondary inspection where CBP officers discovered that both subjects were concealing a single package of narcotics hidden within each one of their shoes. A total of four packages were removed with a combined total weight of 2.20 kilograms (4.9 pounds) of cocaine.

The cocaine and heroin from these seizures has an estimated street value of approximately $1,992,800. CBP officers referred the matters to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents for further investigation.

“Our CBP officers continue to secure our border and prevent these dangerous drugs from being introduced into our cities. These interceptions are a direct result of the commitment and dedication that our officers demonstrate in their daily work. I congratulate Brownsville CBP officers for these outstanding interceptions,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville port of entry.