CBP Officers Remain Vigilant and Intercept SENTRI Participants Attempting to Smuggle $109K in Cocaine at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge
Written by admin, Mar 9, 2019, Comments Off
Courtesy Richard Pauza,
LAREDO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers continue their strong enforcement posture as they intercept travelers enrolled in the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program attempting to smuggle $109,000 in alleged cocaine.
“CBP has numerous layers of enforcement and our officers will go above and beyond to keep these illicit drugs from entering our country and affecting our community,” said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Although SENTRI participants are processed in an expedited manner, they are still subject to inspection as they make entry through our ports of entry.”
The seizure occurred on Tuesday, Mar. 5 at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge when a CBP officer referred a Volkswagen Passat driven by a 27-year-old male Mexican citizen who traveled with a 28-year-old Mexican citizen passenger, to secondary for an examination. An inspection by CBP officers resulted in discovery of a total of five packages containing 14 pounds of cocaine that was hidden on the bodies of the two occupants of the vehicle. The narcotics have an estimated street value of $109,480.
CBP officers seized the narcotics and the vehicle. Both the driver and passenger were arrested and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation. SENTRI privileges were revoked for both passengers.
