EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Paso Del Norte port of entry in El Paso seized more than 70 pounds of methamphetamine from a grandmother traveling with family on Sunday, May 4, CBP said in a news release.
The drugs were hidden in a vehicle being driven by a 55-year-old female U.S. citizen. The woman was traveling with her teen grandchild at the time of the encounter, CBP said.
“This is not the first time CBP has encountered grandparents smuggling drugs while traveling with family members,” CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio said. “Smugglers will employ any and all forms of deception in an effort to blend in with legitimate traffic in an attempt to decrease suspicion that they are involved in illicit activity.”
The seizure was made just before noon Sunday when a 2006 Honda Accord with two passengers arrived from Mexico. A CBP officer working at the primary inspection booth selected the vehicle for a secondary exam after spotting a bundle in the rear quarter panel.
A CBP drug-sniffing dog searched the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics, CBP said.
An X-ray scan confirmed anomalies in the appearance of the vehicle, CBP said.
CBP officers continued the exam and located 57 drug-filled bundles inside the car.
CBP officers arrested the driver. She was turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt, CBP said.
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