CBP Officers Seize $17.5 Million in Narcotics; Drugs Found in Commercial Shipments of Produce, Floor Tile
November 20, 2009U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Rio Grande City commercial cargo facility recently seized approximately 1,725 pounds of marijuana while officers at the Pharr commercial cargo facility seized close to 505 pounds of cocaine. The combined estimated street value of the drugs seized is $17.5 million.
On November 14, CBP officers working at the Rio Grande City, Texas commercial cargo facility came in contact with a northbound commercial shipment of floor tile. After the initial primary inspection, a CBP officer referred the tractor pulling a flatbed trailer and the commercial shipment of floor tile to secondary for further inspection. While in secondary, “Dusty,” a narcotic detector dog, alerted officers to the presence of drug odors emanating from the tile shipment.
A non-intrusive image scan revealed anomalies within the various crates of palletized tile. While conducting an intensive examination of the tile shipment, officers seized 136 marijuana packages that were found hidden within the tile crates. The estimated street value of the marijuana is close to $1.4 million. The driver, a Mexican citizen, was not immediately arrested, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents continue to investigate this failed smuggling attempt. CBP officers seized the tractor trailer rig.
On November 15, CBP officers working at the Pharr, Texas, commercial cargo facility seized cocaine found in three northbound commercial shipments of produce, as well as the tractor trailer rigs.
In all three cocaine seizures, the drivers were not immediately arrested, but ICE special agents continue to investigate these failed smuggling attempts.
