Two drug seizures in one month at same train crossing keep CBP officers in El Paso on alert

EL PASO, Texas -- For the second time in a month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers in El Paso seized a large number of drugs in a rail car arriving from Mexico at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad crossing, according to officials.

The latest seizure happened Wednesday just west of the Paso Del Norte port of entry. According to officials, 195 pounds of marijuana and five pounds of cocaine were inside a hopper car. Officials say a CBP canine alerted officers to an odor, which led to the discovery of the drugs.

“All rail shipments entering the U.S. from Mexico are subject to several layers of enforcement,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. “Each car is scanned by an x-ray system while CBP officers and CBP canine teams at the rail crossing inspect the train as it arrives.”

No arrests have been made, according to CBP.

In a Nov. 9 seizure, CBP officers found 215 pounds of methamphetamine from a train using the same crossing point.