EL PASO, Texas — Customs and Border Patrol Officers seized about 35 pounds of cocaine from a smuggler on April 14.
The smuggler, a 74-year-old U.S. citizen, was driving a mini-van and crossed the border from Mexico at the Bridge of the America's International Crossing.
Officers inspecting the vehicle say they noticed three large plastic containers in a storage component and requested a canine team to screen the mini-van.
After a drug sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle, CBP officers found the substance inside the containers. A sample was tested and confirmed it was cocaine.
“The team performed flawlessly and used all parts of our layered enforcement techniques,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha.
“I commend the primary officer’s instinct, the canine team, and the officers in the secondary area for stopping these drugs from reaching American communities.”
The drugs were seized and the case is under investigation.
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