CBP Officers in Hidalgo Discover Hard Narcotics Worth $2 Million Hidden in a Commercial Bus

HIDALGO, Texas—Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted alleged cocaine and methamphetamine worth $2,034,000 hidden in a commercial passenger bus arriving from Mexico this past weekend.

“We inspect all type of vehicles arriving from Mexico, whether they are cars, trucks, buses or even airplanes to ensure they are free of illicit narcotics or prohibited merchandise,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “CBP’s mission is multi-faceted but protecting our borders by making narcotics seizures like these is our ultimate goal.”

CBP officers working at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge on Aug. 7, 2020 encountered a commercial passenger bus arriving from Mexico and a secondary inspection, which included using non-intrusive imaging (NII) equipment allowed the officers to discover suspected narcotics hidden within the bus. CBP officers located 56 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 132.8 pounds (60 kg) and 21 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing 50.71 pounds (23 kg). The street value of the cocaine is $1,020,000 and $1,014,000 for the methamphetamine.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics along with the bus and the case remains under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.