Eagle Pass CBP Officers Seize $800,000 worth of Cocaine at Port

EAGLE PASS, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry foiled a cocaine smuggling attempt yesterday, seizing nearly $800,000 worth of drugs.

“This is yet another load of narcotics that didn’t make it into the United States,” said John Brandt, CBP Acting Port Director, Eagle Pass. “Our CBP officers at the ports of entry remain ever vigilant in keeping contraband from entering the country.”

Around 1 p.m. Feb. 25, CBP officers, at Camino Real International Bridge, inspected a 2005 Ford Focus as it arrived in the United States from Mexico. During inspection, officers discovered 10 packages of cocaine hidden in the doors of the vehicle. Officers seized a total of 24.9 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $796,928.

The driver, a 30-year-old man from Nava, Coahuila, Mexico, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution.

The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.