Border Crisis: Officers seize over $725K in cocaine at International Bridge

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $725,000 worth of alleged cocaine.

“Our CBP officers remain vigilant and used all of our available tools and resources to thwart this smuggling attempt,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “Our ability to filter out smugglers from legitimate travelers is paramount in securing our border.”

On October 11, 2023, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a black Ford pickup truck making entry from Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection. After physically inspecting the vehicle, which included utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment and screening by a (canine team). Physical inspection of the vehicle resulted in officers extracting a total of twenty-two packages of alleged cocaine weighing 54.32 pounds (24.64 kg) concealed within the vehicle.

CBP OFO arrested the driver, seized the narcotics and vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents initiated a criminal investigation.