CBP Officers at the Laredo Port of Entry Seize Marijuana and Cocaine Valued at $1.5 Million, Assess $4,375 in Civil Penalties and Apprehend Six for Immigration Violations
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Nov 30, 2010, 0 Comments
Courtesy Richard Pauza,
LAREDO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry seized marijuana and cocaine valued at $1.5 million in three separate enforcement actions, prohibited agricultural items and six alleged immigration violators at the international bridges over the course of five days from Nov. 24th through Nov. 28th.
The most recent narcotics seizure took place on Saturday, Nov. 27th at the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge when a 37-year-old male U.S. citizen from Ozark , Missouri and driver of a 1997 GMC Sonoma was referred for a secondary examination. After an intensive inspection of the pick-up truck, CBP officers extracted 55 bundles that contained 137 pounds of alleged marijuana. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $136,524.
The cocaine seizure occurred at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge on Friday, Nov. 26th when a 39-year-old and a 46-year-old male Mexican citizens from Monterrey , Nuevo Leon applied for admission to enter the U.S. on a 2007 Mercury Montego. CBP officers referred and inspected the vehicle in secondary which resulted in the discovery of 18 packages that contained 42 pounds of alleged cocaine and is worth $1.3 million.
CBP officers intercepted another marijuana seizure on that same date at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge after they inspected a 1999 Grand Prix that was driven by a 21-year-old male U.S. citizen from Laredo , Texas . After a thorough examination of the vehicle in secondary, CBP officers found ten bundles with 82 pounds of alleged marijuana which is valued at $82,341.
CBP officers seized the marijuana, cocaine, GMC Sonoma, Mercury Montego and the Grand Prix. All three cases and four individuals were turned over by CBP officers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) for further investigation.
The prohibited agricultural items intercepted occurred during the same five-day period in separate enforcement actions which led CBP agriculture specialists to seize pork sausage, plums, sugarcane, oranges, pork meat, apples, guavas, yam, avocados, plants and tangerines. The persons found to be in possession of the undeclared products were assessed a civil penalty for failure to declare the prohibited agriculture items.
CBP agriculture specialists issued a combined total of $4,375 in civil penalties. The prohibited agriculture products were seized and destroyed on site.
The six unrelated alleged immigration violations included imposters to laser visas, false claim to U.S. citizenship, imposters to legal permanent resident cards and counterfeit documents such as visas and permits.
“The interception of drugs, prohibited agriculture products and persons with immigration law violations wouldn’t be possible without the joint efforts of CBP officers, agriculture specialists, and canine enforcement officers,” said Gene Garza, Port Director, Laredo , Texas . “I commend everyone for their hard work which continues to produce results as evidenced by these significant interceptions.”
