EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, working at the Tornillo port of entry, sezied 28.5 pounds of cocaine on May 9, CBP said.
The drugs were hidden in a vehicle being driven by a 25-year-old female U.S. citizen, CBP said.
“This is a significant amount of cocaine that did not reach its intended destination,” CBP Marcelino Serna (Tornillo) Port Director Eric Fernandez said. “Every drug load that CBP stops plays a role in keeping our communities and neighbors safe.”
The seizure was made at approximately 1:30 p.m. when a 2013 Nissan Titan with a single occupant arrived from Mexico. CBP officers selected the vehicle for a secondary exam.
A CBP drug-sniffing dog searched the vehicle and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. CBP officers continued the exam and located 14 foil-wrapped bundles hidden in the wheel well and dashboard of the vehicle, CBP said.
The contents of the packages tested positive for cocaine.
CBP officers arrested the driver, CBP said. She was turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety to face state charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt, the agency added.
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