CBP Officers at the Brownsville Gateway International Bridge Seized over Half Million Dollars Worth of Cocaine this Weekend

Brownsville, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Brownsville Gateway International Bridge seized over 16 pounds of cocaine in three separate incidents over the weekend.

“Our officers’ continued vigilance and outstanding commitment to help keep drugs from entering our country through the border has enabled us to intercept these narcotics at one of our international crossings,” said Michael Freeman, Port Director, Brownsville Port of Entry.

The first seizure occurred on Friday 08/03/2012 at approximately 2:30pm when a 39-year-old male Mexican national arrived at the pedestrian lane at the Gateway International Bridge. A CBP officer referred the adult male traveler to secondary for further inspection and it was there that officers discovered seven packages of alleged cocaine weighing approximately 820 grams (1.81 pounds) that were hidden inside his clothing.

The second incident occurred on Sunday 08/05/2012 shortly after midnight when a green 1996 Pontiac Sunfire arrived at the Gateway International Bridge. The driver, a 32-year-old male United States citizen from Harlingen, Texas was referred to secondary for an intensive inspection of the vehicle. In secondary officers discovered five packages of alleged cocaine weighing approximately 5.50 kilograms (12.13 pounds) that were concealed within the rear bumper.

The third incident also occurred on Sunday at the same crossing during the early evening hours when a 22-year-old female United States citizen from Dallas, Texas arrived at the pedestrian lane. The female traveler was referred to secondary for further inspection and subsequently officers discovered one package of alleged cocaine weighing approximately 1.04 kilograms (2.29 pounds) which was concealed on the female’s person.

All three travelers were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents for further investigation. CBP seized the narcotics in all three incidents which have a combined street value of approximately $519,000 and the vehicle as well.

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 official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.