Americans caught smuggling fentanyl inside their bodies at El Paso port of entry
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- U.S. CBP officers seized about a half pound of fentanyl smuggled inside of people trying to cross El Paso's Bridge of the Americas this weekend.
Officials say the two smuggling attempts happened November 17, 2024. Just after midnight Sunday, officers stopped a 33-year-old American man who was found with a 4.2 ounce package of fentanyl in his rectal cavity. They also stopped a 47-year-old American woman with a 3.1 ounce package in her vaginal cavity.
The pair were trying to cross into the U.S. from Mexico using the pedestrian lane. CBP officers selected the pair for additional screening and a drug sniffing dog found the fentanyl during a secondary exam, officials say.
"Both travelers were arrested and turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations," CBP officials say. "Federal prosecution was accepted on the pair."
CBP officials add that they also stopped 103 pounds of meth, 3,500 units of prescription medication, and four National Crime Information Center fugitives from entering the U.S. since Saturday.
