Federal Officers Seize Nearly $2 Million in Drugs at Texas Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers seized nearly $2 million in narcotics and other drugs being smuggled into Texas from Mexico over the weekend.

The first seizure occurred at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge that crosses from Reynosa into Hidalgo County. An additional seizure was made in Presidio, Texas, the following day.

CBP officers observed a 2013 Honda Accord being driven from Reynosa into Texas on Saturday. The driver was later determined to be a 59-year-old Mexican national from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. A K-9 officer alerted to the presence of the drugs and the vehicle was moved to a secondary inspection station.

During a physical inspection of the Honda, officers discovered 20 packages that contained 43 pounds of heroin. They also found 15 additional packages containing 38 pounds of cocaine, according to information obtained from CBP officials by Breitbart Texas.

“This significant seizure demonstrates the continuous dedication of our hard working CBP officers,” Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. said in a written statement. “Keeping these dangerous drugs out of our country is part of CBP’s border security mission.”

Officers estimated the combined street value of the drugs to be $1,262,360. The drugs and the vehicle were seized as evidence in the case.

The Mexican male was taken into custody and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for possible prosecution.

On Sunday afternoon, CBP officers working in Presidio, Texas, in the Big Bend Sector, stopped another drug smuggling shipment. The officers stopped a 2002 Ford Focus that was crossing the border from Mexico. The driver of the Ford, a 24-year-old Mexican national from Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, was traveling with his 21-year-old girlfriend and her 17-month-old son.

K-9 Officer “Indi” alerted other officers to the presence of drugs in the car. The CBP officers removed the inside door panels and discovered multiple bundles of drugs.

“In this case the smuggler was traveling with his girlfriend and her young child in attempt to blend in with legitimate border crossing traffic,” John Deputy, CBP Presidio Port Director said in a written statement. “CBP officers were not convinced that this was a routine entry and in the end a sizable amount of contraband was stopped.”

The drug bundles contained 7,92 pounds of methamphetamine and 5.94 pounds of cocaine. No street value estimate was given by officials.

The Mexican man was taken into custody and turned over to HSI investigators for possible prosecution. The woman and her young son were released.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.