U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted $930,400 of cocaine in a shipment of cucumbers and jalapeños.
“Our CBP officers used all available tools and resources to thwart this smuggling attempt,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.
On February 22, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility encountered a commercial tractor-trailer making entry from Mexico.
A CBP officer selected the vehicle for inspection, which included utilising non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment and screening by a canine team.
Physical inspection of the vehicle resulted in officers extracting a total of 28 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 70.28 pounds (31.88 kg) concealed within the vehicle.
CBP OFO seized the narcotics and vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations initiated a criminal investigation.