El Paso CBP Seize 50lbs. Of Cocaine
EL PASO, Tx. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers performing anti-terror inspections at the Paso Del Norte border crossing in El Paso seized 50 pounds of cocaine Sunday afternoon.
Two 17-year-old juveniles, one male and one femalefrom Mexico were taken into custody following the discovery. The seizure was made just before noon when 1990 BMW 325i entered the U.S. from Mexico.
The 17-year-old male driver from Juarez made a negative declaration to CBP. CBP officers initiated a search of the vehicle after CBP drug sniffing dog “Lady” alerted to the rear seat.
CBP officers removed a total of 17 cocaine-filled bundles from the car. The driver and a 17-year-old female passenger, also from Juarez, were turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s department for prosecution.
CBP Spokesman Roger Maier tells ABC-7 that at a low estimate of $20,000 per pound, the total value of the seized cocaine may add up toalmost $1,000,000. “It could be many times that depending how many sets of hands it went through and was broken down before street level distribution,” he stated.
In addition to the cocaine seizure, CBP officers working at the El Paso port of entry this weekend seized almost one ton of marijuana. CBP officers made a total 16 additional drug seizures between Friday and Sunday, preventing 1,979 pounds of marijuana from entering U.S. borders.
