Border officers at a Texas Port of Entry last week found more than $1.3 million worth of cocaine hidden in a tractor hauling a shipment of soft drinks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Friday.
The seizure occurred on Friday, May 24, at the Roma International Bridge, which connects the cities of Roma, Texas, and Ciudad Miguel Alemá, Mexico, over the Rio Grande.
A CBP Office of Field Operations officer stationed on the bridge referred a tractor trailer crossing the bridge for a secondary inspection.
The tractor trailer was purportedly hauling a shipment of soft drinks.
CBP officers conducted a secondary inspection of the trailer’s conveyance using a non-intrusive inspection system and CBP canines.
Upon further examination of the trailer, officers discovered 24 packages containing a total of 101.5 pounds of alleged cocaine within the conveyance.
CBP estimated the street value of the seized narcotics at $1,355,233.
Roma Police Department officers arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation, CBP said Friday.
“This significant cocaine seizure in the cargo environment reflects what inspections experience, training of our frontline officers coupled with the effective use of our non-intrusive inspections technology can achieve,” said Roma Port of Entry Director Andres Guerra.
“Seizures like these exemplify CBP’s commitment to advancing our border security mission while facilitating lawful trade and travel,” Guerra said.
