Half-Ton of Meth Seized at Texas Border Crossing

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers interdicted a shipment of more than 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine at an international border crossing in South Texas. The attempted smuggling incident took place at the Pharr International Bridge Cargo Facility.

CBP officers assigned to the international cargo facility in Pharr, Texas, on October 9 observed a commercial tractor-trailer approaching for inspection as it attempted to enter the United States from Mexico. During an initial interview, the officer referred the driver to a secondary inspection station for further screening, according to information obtained from CBP officials in South Texas.

The officers subjected the tractor-trailer rig to a non-intrusive imaging inspection and a cursory search from a K-9 trained to detect drugs and human cargo. The initial inspection led officers to carry out a physical search of the trailer.

During the search, the officers found 468 packages determined to be methamphetamine. The officers report the weight of the drugs to be 1,179.47 pounds. They estimated the street value of the methamphetamine to be $16,512,400.

“This massive load of methamphetamine will not reach our city streets thanks to our CBP officers and their great teamwork and utilization of all available tools and resources,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.

The officers seized the drugs and the tractor-trailer. The case is now being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations.