$20M+ in meth and cocaine seized at Texas-Mexico border in 3 days
(CBSNewsTexas.com) - More than $20 million in cocaine and methamphetamine was seized at the Texas-Mexico border on three separate days this month.
Border protection officers assigned to the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge took more than $19 million in meth from a man driving a truck on Aug. 7.
"Frontline officers at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge demonstrated exceptional effort in successfully disrupting this drug smuggling attempt," said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. "This massive drug bust is a prime example of the efficient targeting strategies utilized in the cargo environment to help combat the flow of hard narcotics seeping into our communities."
The more than 2,100 pounds of meth was hidden inside a shipment of plaster that afternoon, according to the agency.
Four days later, officers assigned to the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge seized methamphetamine totaling more than $860,000 in street value. Ninety-one packages containing 93.91 pounds of methamphetamine was concealed within a Volkswagen, which K-9 officers alerted on during secondary inspection. A Mexican citizen was arrested in connection to the bust.
"CBP prioritizes its border security mission," said Flores about the Aug. 11 bust. "This interdiction successfully halted the transnational criminal organization's attempt to traffic illicit narcotics into the U.S."
Two days later, officers seized more than $380,000 in cocaine at the Roma International Bridge from a commercial bus arriving from Mexico.
"Our top priority is to secure our borders and continue enforcing the law by interdicting narcotics," said Port Director Andres Guerra, Roma Port of Entry.
