Laredo CBP Officers seize hard narcotics worth over $1.1 million

LAREDO, TEXAS — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized narcotics in two enforcement actions that totaled over $1,100,000 in street value.

“Throughout the pandemic, the dedicated employees of CBP have continued to fulfill the agency’s border security role,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Enforcement operations such as these protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and advance our national security priorities.” The first enforcement action occurred on Sept. 23, 2021, at the World Trade Bridge, after CBP officers encountered a commercial truck manifesting tortilla pressing machines arriving from Mexico.

The 2021 Chevy Silverado and trailer were referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, resulting in the discovery of seven packages containing 14.63 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the commodity. The narcotics have an estimated street value of $292,770.

The second enforcement action occurred on Sept. 30, 2021, at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, after a CBP officer referred a 2015 Ford Transit 350 arriving from Mexico for a secondary inspection. Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, CBP officers discovered a total of 35 packages containing 87.73 pounds of alleged cocaine and five packages containing 12.25 pounds of alleged fentanyl within the vehicle. The narcotics combined have an estimated street value of $812,370.
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According to the DEA, Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by kilogram. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. Therefore the 12.25 pounds of fentanyl could potentially kill 2,778,253 people.

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The narcotics in both seizures combined have an estimated street value of $1,105,140.

CBP seized the narcotics, trailer, and vehicle in connection with the alleged smuggling attempts. The cases were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.