EL PASO, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the El Paso port of entry made five drug seizures Thursday. The enforcement activity included cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
“CBP officers are hard at work every day maintaining the free flow of legitimate trade and travel while also stopping those who are trying to smuggle drugs across a very busy border,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operation Hector Mancha. “Officer experience, canines and technology all play a role in helping CBP officers in stopping these drug loads.”
In one of the most interesting seizures of the day, CBP officers stopped a 17-year-old Mexican teen from crossing 2.5 pounds of cocaine from Mexico to the U.S. CBP officers working at the Paso Del Norte pedestrian crossing stopped the teen shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday when they noticed what appeared to be anomalies concealed under his clothes. A CBP drug sniffing dog alerted to the 17-year-old. CBP officers continued their exam and located a large drug-filled bundle strapped to his back. The teen was turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to face prosecution.
In addition to the cocaine seizure, CBP officers also stopped two other pedestrian border crossers who were carrying 8.3 pounds of methamphetamine. They also stopped vehicles at the PDN and Bridge of the Americas border crossing in which smugglers were attempting to cross 212 pounds of marijuana.
Along with the drugs, CBP officers in El Paso also seized a variety of counterfeit goods. The seizures included sports jerseys, mobile game devices, and dietary supplements with a manufacturer’s suggested retail value in excess of $15,000, had they been legitimate goods.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.