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CBP officers seize nearly $690K of narcotics in Texas

by Zach Schonfeld - 07/18/22 9:51 AM ET

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File
In this Feb. 25, 2015 file photo, the Homeland Security Department headquarters in northwest Washington. President Joe Biden has selected two former senior National Security Agency officials for key cyber roles in his administration.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than $690,000 worth of hard narcotics, the agency announced on Friday.

The seizure occurred on the World Trade Bridge, which connects Laredo, Texas, with Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, over the Rio Grande, on Wednesday.

“Attempts to smuggle contraband through commercial supply chains are increasing,” Alberto Flores, CBP’s port director in Laredo, said in a statement. “Our continued dedication to maintaining a robust border security operations posture has led us to major narcotic interdictions at our cargo facilities.”

CBP was inspecting a 2003 Freightliner tractor that carried a shipment of air conditioning parts from Mexico, including a search leveraging canines, when they found 32 packages containing alleged cocaine.

The packages allegedly included 89.68 pounds of cocaine, amounting to an estimated street value of $691,560, CBP said.

CBP said it seized the alleged cocaine and the trailer, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations special agents are investigating the seizure.

Updated on Tuesday at 9:55 a.m.

Tags CBP Mexico Texas