Brownsville CBP Officers Seize 259K Worth of Cocaine in Two Seizures at the Brownsville and Matamoros Bridge

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge intercepted alleged narcotics with a combined estimated street value of $259,420 in two separate enforcement actions.

“Our CBP officers’ vigilance and dedication stopped these dangerous narcotics from entering the United States and harming the people in our communities,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.

The first seizure took place on Wednesday, July 29, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge when a 30-year-old female United States citizen applied for entry into the United States driving a silver colored 2011 Ford Explorer.  The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection.  In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive imaging system (NII) and a canine unit, CBP officers discovered nine packages hidden within the Ford Explorer.  CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 21.65 pounds of alleged cocaine.

The second seizure also took place on Wednesday, July 29, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge when a 38-year-old male United States citizen applied for entry into the United States driving a silver colored 1999 GMC Sierra.  The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection.  In secondary, with the aid of a non-intrusive imaging system (NII), CBP officers discovered five packages hidden within the pick-up.  CBP officers removed the packages, which contained a total of 11.99 pounds of alleged cocaine.

The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizures is approximately $166,940 and $92,480 respectively.

CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the vehicles, arrested the drivers and turned them over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.