Drug Sniffing Dog Finds Heroin Inside Man Crossing Coming Back From Mexico

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized just under 5 ounces of heroin Monday. The drugs were concealed within the body cavity of a pedestrian border crosser.

“Internal body carriers are not common at land border ports of entry so this is a significant seizure,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Hector Mancha. “Heroin is a valuable commodity to drug smuggling groups so seizing almost 5 ounces is a sizable loss for the people involved in this failed attempt.”

The seizure was made at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Paso Del Norte pedestrian crossing. A 35-year-old U.S. citizen from El Paso entered the port from Mexico and was selected for a secondary exam by CBP officers. CBP drug sniffing dog “Malone” alerted to the man. During the course of an interview with CBP officers the subject admitted that he had heroin concealed within his body. The subject removed a single oval shaped pellet from an internal cavity. The contents of the 136 gram bundle tested positive for heroin.

CBP officers took custody of the subject and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special agents for arrest. Federal prosecution was accepted and HSI agents booked the subject, Paulo Alfredo Macias, into the El Paso County Jail where he is currently being detained without bond.

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.