Courtesy Richard Pauza,
Laredo, Texas –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry on Monday stopped 27 pounds of cocaine from being smuggled into the country inside the cab of a commercial tractor at World Trade Bridge . 
CBP officers at the World Trade Bridge manning the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Lane encountered a 1994 Freightliner tractor driven by a 33-year-old Mexican national from Nuevo Laredo , Tamaulipas , Mexico . The FAST registered driver presented documentation for a legitimate commercial shipment of televisions that was …

Courtesy Richard Pauza,
(LAREDO, TEXAS) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry on Thursday apprehended an East Texas man wanted on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault in Montgomery County , Texas . The apprehension occurred on Jan. 26 2011 at Gateway to the Americas Bridge . A CBP officer referred a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Danny Ray Rancher, a 56-year-old male U.S. citizen from Willis , Texas for a secondary examination. During the examination, CBP officers verified Rancher’s identity and confirmed he …

Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
DEL RIO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Del Rio Port of Entry on Monday seized alleged marijuana valued at $74,000 hidden in a vehicle driven by a local woman.   
 The seizure occurred on Jan. 23 at the Del Rio International Bridge . A CBP officer referred a 2003 Ford Taurus driven by a 45-year-old female U.S. citizen from Del Rio for a secondary examination. In secondary, CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the vehicle and discovered discrepancies in …

Courtesy Richard Pauza, 
LAREDO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the Laredo Port of Entry recently intercepted a significant amount of possible cattle fever ticks found on an imported trophy deer hide.
 On Jan. 8, 2012 a CBP officer at Colombia-Solidarity Bridge referred a driver of a Chevy pickup truck to secondary examination after he declared a trophy deer hide originating from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. A CBP agriculture specialist conducted an examination and discovered 23 live ticks on the hide.
 A U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist identified the …

Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
 SOUTH TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agriculture specialists at eight South Texas ports of entry seized a significant amount of narcotics, currency, false documents, and uncovered numerous immigration violations during the first quarter of fiscal year 2012. Fiscal Year 2012 began October 1, 2011 and the first quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011.  
 CBP officers at eight ports of entry extending from Brownsville to Del Rio in the first quarter of FY 2012 seized 32,472 pounds of narcotics that carried an …

Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
 Laredo, Texas – The Import Specialist Enforcement Team (ISET) at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Laredo Port of Entry targeted and seized 18,000 items, including digital camcorders with memory cards and car radios and parts that infringed on the Secure Digital or “SD” registered trademark valued at over $782,000 in two separate trademark enforcement actions. 
In the first enforcement action, CBP import specialists from the Laredo ISET team targeted a manifested shipment of 15,000 items, including digital camcorders with memory cards, for an enforcement examination. CBP …

Courtesy Richard Pauza,
 WASHINGTON – Theft of American intellectual property is a serious crime, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that their vigorous, ongoing efforts to protect America from the trade in counterfeit and pirated goods during fiscal year (FY) 2011 resulted in 24,792 seizures, a 24 percent increase over 2010.
 Many fake goods seriously threaten the health and safety of American consumers and our national security.  With this in mind, CBP and ICE continued to step up enforcement against these dangerous …

Courtesy Richard Pauza,
 LAREDO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry this weekend seized $305,967 in undeclared currency during a routine outbound examination.   The currency seizure occurred on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 at Lincoln-Juarez Bridge . CBP officers and agents conducting outbound examinations referred a 2006 Acura TL driven by a 19-year-old U.S. citizen from Laredo , Texas for a secondary examination. CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the vehicle and discovered 41 bundles hidden within the vehicle containing a total of $305,967 …

Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
Washington – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has compiled its list of top 10 seizures of 2011. This list illustrates the important role CBP’s officers and agents play in protecting the nation against unsafe and unfair products as well as intercepting smuggling attempts along the nation’s borders and ports of entry. These seizures represent the largest and most unique items seized across the country in 2011. Click on the below stories for information about these top 10 seizures and more.

CBP officers conducting southbound operations …

Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
 SOUTH TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agriculture specialists at eight South Texas ports of entry seized a significant amount of narcotics, currency, false documents, and uncovered numerous immigration and agricultural violations during fiscal year 2011. Fiscal Year 2011 began October 1, 2010 and ended Sept. 30, 2011.  
 CBP officers at eight ports of entry extending from Brownsville to Del Rio in FY 2011 seized 157,119 pounds of narcotics that carried an estimated street value of nearly $404 million. Specifically they …