HOUSTON, Texas — A 46-year-old man from El Salvador was recently caught smuggling seven ounces of cocaine hidden in tamales. Authorities intercepted the attempted smuggling at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
A statement obtained by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), obtained by Breitbart Texas, claimed that the suspect was attempting to traveling to New York at the time of the bust. Officers selected him for additional screening and found the drug-stuff tamales during an examination of the man’s luggage.
Ultimately, officers discovered nine bags containing the drug-filled tamales.
CBP Service Port Director Beverly Good said in a statement, “This type of seizure speaks to our level of commitment in disrupting criminal activity despite the concealment method.”
According to CPB, the cocaine was seized and the alleged smuggler is being handled by the Houston Police Department.
Breitbart Texas has been consistently reporting on significant drug busts amid the border crisis in the Rio Grade Valley Sector. The border has been especially unsecured, as Border Patrol agents remain busy handing the tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors who have entered the U.S. illegally from Central America.
Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby recently reported that in one Texas Border Patrol sector, up to 70 percent of Border Patrol agents are currently taking care of the influx of unaccompanied minors from Central America, instead of manning the border; rural areas outside of the RGV Sector tend to be especially unsecured.
Many have speculated that drug smugglers are currently having a field day due to the porous nature of the Texas-Mexico border.
Follow Kristin Tate @KristinBTate.