Mexican Cartels Using Female Couriers to Smuggle Drugs in Their Body Cavities

EL PASO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at El Paso area ports of entry stopped multiple hard narcotics smuggling attempts over the weekend including women transporting drugs inside their body cavities.

“The seizures made during the last several days illustrate the challenges CBP officers face in sorting legitimate travelers from those who are smuggling contraband,” said CBP El Paso Director Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “CBP officers must always remain vigilant because the variety of smugglers and concealment methods they employ is almost limitless.”

CBP officers working at the Paso Del Norte border crossing encountered a 42-year-old female, U.S. citizen via pedestrian lanes. During a pat down search, the female voluntarily removed one bundle from her vaginal cavity.

Within the primary bundle were several individually wrapped bags containing ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl. The combined weight of the drugs was under half a pound.

On August 29, CBP officers working at the Ysleta border crossing encountered a 28-year-old female U.S citizen via the pedestrian lanes. During a secondary inspection, a CBP canine alerted to the odor of narcotics leading the female to voluntarily remove one bundle from her underwear containing 0.06 pounds of methamphetamine.