Eagle Pass Border Patrol checkpoint nets $635,000 worth of cocaine

Del Rio, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Eagle Pass South Station seized more than $635,000 worth of cocaine Tuesday after finding the narcotics hidden in a car.

On Tuesday morning, a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro approached the Highway 57 immigration checkpoint near Eagle Pass. While agents were conducting routine immigration inspections, a Border Patrol canine alerted to the possible presence of contraband in the vehicle. An intensive search revealed eight packages hidden in the dashboard of the vehicle. The packages contained more than 19 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $635,392.  The driver, a 20-year-old San Antonio man, was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. For Fiscal Year 2013, the Del Rio Sector has seized more than 34,200 pounds of marijuana and 37.5 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $28.5 million dollars.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.