CBP Make Heroin Seizure In EP
EL PASO, TX. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers performing anti-terror inspections at the Paso Del Norte port of entry seized 10.9 pounds of heroin Monday at the Paso Del Norte crossing in downtown El Paso.
The seizure is one of the largest in recent history at the El Paso port and almost equals the entire quantity seized by CBP officers during fiscal year 2005.
The seizure was made just after 10 a.m. when a 1994 Buick LeSabre entered the facility from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection booth selected the vehicle for an intensive inspection because the driver was nervous during routine questioning. CBP drug sniffing dog “Bo” alerted to the presence of narcotics in the dashboard area of the car. CBP officers continued their inspection and discovered a total of 14 heroin-filled bundles in the car.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents arrested the driver of the vehicle in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. He is identified as 37-year-old Eliverto Piedra Rincon, a Mexican citizen who resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.
CBP officers working at border ports of entry in El Paso, West Texas and New Mexico had seized 22 pounds of heroin through the first nine months of the current fiscal year (not including Monday’s seizure). During fiscal year 2006, they seized 34.5 pounds of heroin and they seized 11.1 pounds of the drug during fiscal year 2005.
CBP officers screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases. While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.
