CBP officers allegedly find 299 bundles of pot hidden in vehicle’s ceiling compartment
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized 323.5 pounds of marijuana Tuesday.
The estimated street value of the drug load is $258,800, officials said. It was the largest of five marijuana busts made by CBP officers working at the Santa Teresa and El Paso ports on June 14.
“This was a very large drug shipment that CBP officers identified and stopped at the port of entry,” said Ray Provencio, CBP Santa Teresa Port director. “Smugglers will attempt to utilize any and all parts of a vehicle to hide their drug loads.”
The seizure was made at approximately 11 a.m. when a 1993 Chevrolet Astro Van entered the port from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection station selected the van for a secondary inspection. A device and a drug-sniffing dog allegedly alerted the officer to hidden contraband in the van’s ceiling.
The vehicle was scanned with an x-ray system, revealing anomalies. CBP said officers removed 299 marijuana-filled bundles from a ceiling compartment.
CBP officers arrested the driver of the van, 44-year-old Ramon Antonio Rios Torres of El Paso, Texas. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt.
