U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stopped about $50 million worth of methamphetamine in two seizures from successfully crossing the border at Gateway International Bridge in late October, according to separate news releases.
The most recent seizure found more than $1.5 million in meth, which occurred on Thursday, Oct. 28 when a 44-year-old Brownsville woman driving a 2008 Ford pickup tried to cross from Mexico, according to CBP's Monday, Nov. 1 news release. CBP officers, using a non-intrusive imaging system and a canine unit, found 24 packages containing more than 76 pounds of what is thought to have been meth with an estimated street value of more than $1.5 million.
CBP seized the packages and the truck, and arrested the woman who subsequently was turned Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents.
"Our officers used their experience and inspection skills to intercept this significant load of prohibited narcotics, delivering another significant blow to illicit drug trafficking in our area," Brownsville Port of Entry Director Tater Ortiz said in the news release.
The Oct. 28 seizure came less than a week after a much larger haul of meth found hidden in a 1997 Freightliner truck trying to cross Veterans International Bridge, according to an earlier CBP news release. A 60-year-old Mexican man was driving the truck in which CBP officers found 62 buckets that contained almost 2,500 pounds of what was thought to be meth with an estimated street value of almost $49 million.
CBP officers seized the buckets of alleged meth, along with the truck, and arrested the driver who was subsequently turned over to HSI.
"This substantial seizure illustrates the importance of remaining vigilant and our CBP officers used their experience and enforcement tools available in keeping these dangerous narcotics from entering our country," Ortiz said in the Oct. 28 news release about the Oct. 22 seizure.
