CBP Officers at Hidalgo International Bridge Arrest Star County Woman with $1.6 Million in Hard Narcotics

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested a 42-year-old woman, a U.S. citizen from Starr County, Texas after discovering $1,673,500 worth of alleged methamphetamine and heroin hidden within the vehicle she was driving.

“People must realize that smuggling narcotics carries serious consequences and CBP Field Operations will arrest those involved in these type of illicit activities and seek the fullest punishment allowed by law,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/ Anzalduas.

CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge on Oct. 3, 2020, encountered the woman driving a 2015 Jeep Cherokee and referred her for a more thorough examination. Officers conducting the secondary inspection located packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the vehicle. Officers removed two packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing 74.78 pounds (33.92 kg) and two packages of alleged heroin weighing 4.45 pounds (2.02 kg), valued at $1,495,500 and $178,000, respectively.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics, the vehicle and arrested the woman, turning her over to the custody of agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as they continue with the investigation.