CBP bust yields more than $1 million in cocaine at Santa Teresa Port of Entry
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry commercial cargo facility seized 32.5 pounds of cocaine Thursday wiith an approximate value of $1,040,000.
“Vigilance, service, and integrity are the core values of CBP. Santa Teresa’s CBP officers epitomize our core values and demonstrate the highest standards as they stop dangerous narcotics from entering our country. I commend our officers for their outstanding work in this seizure,” said Ray Provencio, CBP Santa Teresa Port Director.
The seizure happened at about 10:48 a.m. when a 2005 Ford F-150 pickup hauling an empty goose neck flatbed trailer entered the Santa Teresa cargo facility from Mexico. CBP officers selected the vehicle for a gamma-ray exam and identified several anomalies in the appearance of the trailer. The vehicle was moved to the inspection dock where CBP officers drilled one of the trailer axels and extracted a white powdery substance.
CBP officers removed a total of 21 bundles.
CBP officers arrested the driver, 61-year-old Pedro Vargas Salas of Cuauhtmoc, Mexico. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special agents took him into custody and will continue the investigation.
