Hidalgo, Texas— U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) at the Pharr International Bridge seized approximately 14.5
pounds of cocaine with a Reynosa woman arrested in the alleged smuggling
attempt. The estimated street value of the cocaine is approximately $464,000.
CBP also arrested two male imposters in unrelated incidents.
On April 19, 2012 CBP officers working
at the Pharr/Reynosa International Bridge came in contact with a 2002 brown
Ford Escape driven by a 48-year-old female Mexican national from Reynosa,
Tamaulipas. The driver and lone occupant presented her border crossing card to
the primary officer and was referred to secondary for further inspection. In
secondary officers discovered and seized nine packages weighing approximately
6.58 kilograms (14.50 pounds) of alleged cocaine that was hidden within the
vehicle’s firewall (dash) area. CBP seized the vehicle.
The adult female traveler was released
to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security
Investigations (ICE-HSI) for further investigation.
In two separate unrelated incidents at
the Hidalgo Port of Entry CBP officers came in contact with two males
attempting to enter the United States through the pedestrian lanes. One male
traveler attempted to present himself as a legal permanent resident who had
allegedly lost his resident card and the other presented a state of Minnesota
birth certificate belonging to someone else. The two travelers were referred to
secondary for further document review and it was there that officers discovered
that the alleged legal resident was in fact a 58-year-old citizen of Honduras
and the alleged U.S. citizen was a 20-year-old Mexican national. Neither male
traveler had legal documents to enter or reside in the United States.
The two male imposters were incarcerated
pending appearance before a U.S. Federal Magistrate on criminal charges for
violations of U.S. immigration law.
“This is two consecutive days that our
officers have detected hard narcotics and undocumented people attempting to
enter the U.S. illegally. Violators need to realize that CBP will arrest those
attempting illicit activities and the U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with
us to seek the maximum punishment allowed by law to those found to be involved
in these crimes” said Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is
the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged
with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and
between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and
terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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