CBP: Woman tried to smuggle cocaine hidden in shoe soles

Customs and Border Protection officers working at an El Paso port of entry seized more than a pound of cocaine allegedly hidden in the shoes of a female border crosser.

“Our attention to detail stopped this drug smuggler in her tracks,” said Severiano Solis, acting CBP El Paso Port Director.

The seizure was made just before 7 p.m. Monday when a woman entered the Ysleta international crossing pedestrian inspection area from Mexico.

During a secondary exam, CBP officers noticed the woman’s shoes seemed unusually heavy and the inner soles were thick and bulky.

The soles were probed, revealing a white powder which tested positive for cocaine, officials said.

CBP officers took custody of the woman, 23-year-old Laura Valeria Ramirez of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

She was turned over to HSI special agents to faces charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.