PHARR, Texas (Border Report) — Over $6.2 million in cocaine hidden inside a shipment of plastic wrap from Mexico was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge, officers say.
The seizure is part of an unusual new trend that Border Report has noticed along the South Texas border of large amounts of cocaine put into single transports since the Trump administration has ordered a lockdown of fentanyl drugs crossing the border.
Officers found over 470 pounds of cocaine in 150 packages Wednesday inside a commercial tractor-trailer coming from Tamaulipas, Mexico, CBP said Friday.
The recent seizure of cocaine was found after the truck was sent for secondary inspection, which included utilizing nonintrusive inspection equipment and canine screening, CBP says.
“Large cocaine seizures like this not only underscore the seriousness of the drug threat our frontline CBP officers face every day but also the effectiveness of applying inspection experience and technology to zero in and take down this load, preventing it from reaching U.S. streets,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry said.
The truck, narcotics and driver were turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety officers who arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation, CBP says.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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