NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 19.67 pounds of cocaine, 14.2 pounds of heroin and 559 pounds of marijuana at the El Paso ports of entry within a span of two days.
On April 11, CBP officers working at the port of Columbus, New Mexico seized 451 pounds of marijuana hidden in bundles in a truck arriving from Mexico. Officers were alerted to the truck by a canine alert and non-intrusive inspection.
On April 12, CBP officers in El Paso seized 4.54 pounds of cocaine discovered in packages hidden in a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old female U.S. citizen. Officers were alerted to the vehicle by a canine alert and non-intrusive inspection. A few hours later on April 12, CBP officers at the Bridge of the Americas border crossing seized 12.43 pounds of cocaine hidden in packages after doing a thorough inspection of a vehicle driven by a 23-year-old male U.S. citizen.
On April 13, when CBP officers and canines working at the BOTA border crossing were doing vehicle inspections, they seized 14.20 pounds of heroin and 2.7 pounds of cocaine hidden in a vehicle driven by a 28-year-old female U.S. citizen. A few hours later on April 13, officers at BOTA seized 108.5 pounds of marijuana hidden in a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old U.S. citizen.
All suspects were arrested by CBP officers and turned over to federal and local authorities to face charges.
