The El Paso region continues to be a hotspot for smugglers intent on distributing drugs or migrants across the United States. Chief Border Patrol Agent Jason Owens recently reported via Twitter that agents in the area apprehended a significant group of individuals, including a sex offender and a murderer.
Owens stated, "Yesterday, USBP agents in El Paso apprehended 42 undocumented subjects in stash house. These are individuals that were attempting to avoid capture. Importantly, this event included the arrest of 4 very dangerous subjects (2 drug traffickers, murderer, & sex offender)."
In the initial four days of December alone, customs officers operating at El Paso area ports seized 67 pounds of cocaine, 89 pounds of methamphetamine and multiple firearms. This information was provided in a media release by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The confiscated drugs have an estimated street value of $1.1 million.
Hector A. Mancha, CBP El Paso Director Field Operations, expressed his views on these operations: "Our CBP officers continued vigilance in protecting the border achieves daily results," he said. "CBP officers remain dedicated to disrupting the flow of dangerous narcotics and weapons from entering our country and reaching our communities."
On December 2nd, CBP officers at the Port of Santa Teresa in New Mexico seized 26 pounds of cocaine inside a vehicle driven by a 32-year-old Canadian male who had arrived from Mexico via vehicle lanes. This was according to a news release from CBP. Several hours later, CBP officers intercepted another 25 pounds of cocaine from inside a pickup truck driven by a 25-year-old Mexican male.
The largest seizure during this four-day period occurred on December 4th at the Bridge of the Americas border crossing as per the same CBP news release. A 46-year-old Mexican female was found with 89 pounds of methamphetamine after anomalies were identified during a non-intrusive exam and canine search of the vehicle. The methamphetamine-filled packages were discovered throughout the car.
