Border Patrol Arrests Alleged Trafficker with Nearly $500K of Drugs in One Car Crossing the Southern Border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted nearly a half-million dollars of suspected methamphetamine and heroin hidden in a 2006 Toyota entering from Mexico as drug trafficking increases under the Biden administration’s border policies.
“Our officers use a variety of law enforcement tools in conducting their inspections to secure our borders and continue to intercept dangerous narcotics, ensuring that they don’t reach our streets and neighborhoods,” Tater Ortiz, port director of the Brownsville Port of Entry, said in a statement on Wednesday.
CBP South Texas tweeted, “Poly-drug load nabbed in #Brownsville: #CBP officers seize $445K in methamphetamine and heroin in passenger vehicle at #Brownsville’s Gateway International Bridge. Driver arrested.”
Poly-drug load nabbed in #Brownsville: #CBP officers seize $445K in methamphetamine and heroin in passenger vehicle at #Brownsville‘s Gateway International Bridge. Driver arrested. Read more: https://t.co/1bdtdArbKw pic.twitter.com/nYJYssq0Oe
— CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) August 11, 2021
“The seizure took place on Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the Gateway International Bridge when a 57-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, applied for entry into the United States driving a 2006 Toyota,” the agency said.
It added, “CBP officers discovered six packages which contained a total of 13.84 pounds of alleged methamphetamine and three packages which contained a total of 7.45 pounds of alleged heroin.”
“The estimated street value of the narcotics from the seizure is approximately $445,897.”
The release said CBP officers “arrested the driver and turned him over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.”
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The drug arrest was significant but not the only one at the nation’s southern border in recent days.
CBP South Texas also tweeted Wednesday, “#Laredo #CBP officers seize 8,558 pills of undeclared controlled prescription medication, incl. Valium, Xanax, Ritalin and Carisoprodol, concealed within a female pedestrian’s belongings at Gateway to the Americas Bridge. Traveler arrested.”
#Laredo #CBP officers seize 8,558 pills of undeclared controlled prescription medication, incl. Valium, Xanax, Ritalin and Carisoprodol, concealed within a female pedestrian’s belongings at Gateway to the Americas Bridge. Traveler arrested. Read more: https://t.co/rNgcnsiErd pic.twitter.com/vzvhlzcKFB
— CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) August 11, 2021
“This seizure of undeclared prescription medication was composed of muscle relaxants, sedatives and stimulants that are classified as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration,” Alberto Flores, port director of the Laredo Port of Entry, said in a statement.
“Fortunately, our frontline officers remain vigilant in the interdiction of these dangerous drugs, which aids in the prosecution of alleged drug traffickers,” he said.
The statement said that “CBP officers discovered a total of 16 packages containing 1,508 tablets of Carisoprodol, 2,679 tablets of Valium, 600 tablets of Ritalin and 3,771 tablets of Xanax.”
??: Fox reporting that in Texas, CBP just recorded the largest meth bust on record—almost 3 tons of meth and fentanyl.
The #BidenBorderCrisis is bringing historic levels of drugs across our border, and into our communities where they will ruin countless lives. pic.twitter.com/VABVbwJpzt
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) August 11, 2021
The events followed the discovery of a massive, 183-foot-long tunnel used to smuggle drugs from Mexicali, Baja California, into the U.S.
“These types of tunnels enable drug traffickers to conduct illicit activities virtually undetected across the U.S.–Mexico border,” Cardell T. Morant, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations San Diego, said, according to Fox News.
“Discovering and shutting down these tunnels deals a major blow to drug trafficking organizations because it denies them the ability to smuggle drugs, weapons and people across the border,” he added.
The report noted, “Working with Mexican authorities, HIS San Diego Task Force agents determined that a drug trafficking organization dug the tunnel.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
