CBP Seizes $5.6 Million in Triple Meth Busts
A trifecta of meth busts at the Mexico border resulted in the confiscation of nearly $5.6 million worth of methamphetamine last week.
Laredo, TX
At the Laredo, Texas point of entry, Customs & Border Protection agents found nearly 10 pounds of liquid meth valued at $150,000 inside aloe vera bottles. The drugs were confiscated April 9th from a taxicab that was transporting a 22-year-old American citizen who officers turned over to ICE special agents for questioning.
Pharr, TX
Meanwhile, CBP agents in Pharr, TX seized nearly 51 pounds of methamphetamine from a Dallas woman attempting to cross the border from Mexico.
The 46-year-old woman arrived at the Paso Del Norte port of entry April 9th in a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. After the initial inspection, a CBP officer flagged her car for a secondary exam. With help from the CBP drug sniffing dog, Tiran, searched the car and alerted agents to narcotics hidden near the back of the car. Officers then scanned the car with an x-ray that showed abnormalities in the rear tires. Agents removed the tires to find custom-made metal collars bolted to the rims of the wheels. Inside the collars lied a dozen meth-filled bundles with an estimated street value of $1.6 million.
CBP officers then arrested the driver, Matilda Perez, and turned her over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special agents to face charges associated with the failed drug smuggling attempt.
Pharr, TX
Before each of those seizures, however, CBP officers arrested a Brazilian citizen on April 3rd as he tried to cross into the U.S. with 190 pounds of liquid methamphetamine hidden in his vehicle.
The 33-year-old man, who currently resides in Michoacán, Mexico, arrived at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in a white Nissan Armada SUV where CBP officers inspected his car. Although the CBP statement did not reveal where the narcotics were hidden, the press release states, “During the secondary inspection and with the use of a canine enforcement team and all available tools and resources, officers discovered 190.25 pounds of alleged liquid methamphetamine hidden within the Nissan SUV.”
The street value of the drugs was estimated at $3.8 million. CBP agents arrested the Mexican national and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further investigation.
“Our officers truly stepped up to the plate and demonstrated their genuine commitment towards the CBP mission of keeping dangerous drugs from entering our country through the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. of the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “The narcotics threat is presented on a daily basis and our officers maintain their resolute readiness to face it head-on.”