Laredo CBP Officers Intercept Cocaine Valued at $864,000 inside a Commercial Tractor Cab – FAST Driver
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Feb 1, 2012, 0 Comments
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 being pulled by the tractor he was operating. CBP officers referred the tractor trailer for a secondary examination. CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the tractor and trailer that led to the discovery of 10 bundles of alleged cocaine weighing approximately 27 pounds within the tractor. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $864,000.
CBP officers seized the cocaine and the tractor. The driver was turned over by CBP officers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) agents for further investigation.
The FAST program is one of CBP’s trusted traveler programs. Travelers who participate in the Free and Secure Trade program are afforded expedited processing when crossing the border. As a participant in these Registered Travelers programs, these travelers are bestowed with a higher level of trust and confidence in regards to security when crossing the border. Because of this higher level of trust and confidence that has been bestowed on participants, violations of this trust will not be tolerated. Violations will result in the prosecution of the violator to the fullest extent of the law.
“FAST program participants are entrusted as low-risk travelers,” said Sidney K. Aki, Port Director, Laredo Port of Entry. “This driver violated that trust and attempted to bring illegal drugs into the country. CBP officers remain poised in their enforcement at all international crossings to ensure that checks and balances, especially at trusted traveler lanes, are in place. This significant amount of narcotics intercepted is a testament to the fact that the system works.”
