Eagle Pass CBP Officers Seize $972,000 Worth of Marijuana at Port

EAGLE PASS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry intercepted a marijuana shipment March 6, seizing more than 90 pounds of contraband.

“This is another case of CBP officers’ training and experience keeping a load of drugs from entering the country,” said John Brandt, CBP Acting Port Director, Eagle Pass. “Our officers employed a combination of observational skills and high tech tools to uncover this load and prevent it from going any farther.”

Around 8 p.m. March 6, CBP officers, at Eagle Pass International Bridge I, inspected a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup truck as it arrived in the United States from Mexico. During inspection, officers discovered 38 packages of marijuana hidden under the bed of the vehicle. Officers seized a total of 97.2 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $972,000.

The driver, a 22-year-old man from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution.

The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.