Agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol and state and local police seized 121 pounds of cocaine worth $3.8 million near Rio Grande City on Tuesday, Chief Jason Owens announced in a tweet.
"More dangerous narcotics kept off your streets," he said.
"On August 7, 2023, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents, working with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the Rio Grande City area, observed suspected narcotics being delivered to a pick-up truck parked along the Rio Grande River," a Border Patrol press release on the action said. "As the vehicle traveled away from the river, agents responded to the area, and the suspect driver turned south, stopping near the riverbank."
As police officials watched, the driver left the vehicle and swam across the Rio Grande, the release said, adding, "In the abandoned truck, agents discovered two nylon sacks containing 50 bricks of suspected narcotics. The weight of the seized narcotics totaled 121 lbs. with a street value of over $3.8 million."
The cocaine was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reposted the Border Patrol's photo of the truck on the X platform with the comment, "The violent drug cartels have become emboldened because of President Biden’s open border."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate, expressed similar views in a recent article in the Federal Newswire, saying the Biden administration is causing worsening conditions at the border. The Biden policy on immigration is unacceptable, he said.
Kennedy's plan, the article said, would be to foster a better relationship with foreign nations, especially Mexico, and increase border security. The cartels use the perception of weak border security to their advantage in convincing people to migrate, he said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is dedicated to the protection of the country and the facilitation of trade and travel, its website says. The agency reportedly employs over 60,000 people, making it one of the largest law enforcement organizations in the world.
