Border Crisis: Officers seize over $4 million in Methamphetamine at International Bridge

PHARR, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted $4,360,000 of alleged methamphetamine concealed within a shipment of mixed vegetables.

“This massive shipment of narcotics will not make it to American streets thanks to our CBP officers who used their intuition and all our available tools and resources to stop this smuggling attempt,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “The criminal element continues to attempt to smuggle in the cargo environment, but our CBP officers remain vigilant and will continue to do their best to thwart these smuggling attempts.”

On August 4, 2023, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection which included utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment. Physical inspection of the cargo resulted in the discovery of 2,232 packages containing alleged methamphetamine weighing a total of 488 pounds (221.5 kg) concealed within the shipment of vegetables.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics and tractor-trailer. Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) initiated a criminal investigation.