U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than $3 million in cocaine this month, in the largest narcotics haul so far this year at the Rio Grande City Port of Entry.
On August 24, CBP officers at the Rio Grande City International Bridge discovered 228 pounds of illicit narcotics stashed within a shipment of charcoal. The estimated street value of the drugs is thought to be $3,044,859, according to the CBP.
Border agents have not released any information regarding the suspect involved in the drug seizure.
CBP officers at the Rio Grande City International Bridge discovered 228 pounds of illicit narcotics stashed within a shipment of charcoal in a single enforcement action.
Christian Charisius/DPA
CBP officers referred the commercial tractor-trailer hauling a shipment of charcoal for secondary inspection.
Law enforcement officials on the U.S.-Mexico border referred the vehicle for a further examination that included a “non-intrusive inspection system.”
CBP canines detected the presence of narcotics in the vehicle and notified officers.
Upon further physical examination, CBP officers discovered the massive haul of cocaine consisting of 100 packages concealed in the vehicle.
“Our frontline officers continue to exercise vigilance in the cargo environment, and their inspection skill coupled with technology and our canine unit all contributed to this significant seizure,” said Port Director Rogelio Olivares. “Seizures like these exemplify CBP’s commitment to advancing our border security mission while facilitating lawful trade and travel.”
High doses of cocaine.
Steve Parsons/EMPPL PA Wire
Homeland Security Investigations has launched a criminal investigation, and inquiries remain ongoing.
CBP officers seized the narcotics following the drug bust.
The operations are part of ongoing CBP efforts to intercept and prevent the trafficking of illicit drugs into the country.
Earlier this month, CBP officers at the Del Rio Port of Entry seized more than $498,000 worth of cocaine stashed in a secret compartment within the floorboard of a vehicle.
This picture taken on August 28, 2019 shows a portion of the wall on the US-Mexico border seen from Chihuahua State in Mexico (R), some 100 km from the city of Ciudad Juarez. The US Defence Department said on September 3 it was freeing up $3.6 billion in funds budgeted for other projects to build a wall on the Mexican border as ordered by President Donald Trump.
HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images
Also in August, San Diego border agents confiscated half a million worth of cocaine after a Border Patrol canine team sniffed out the drug haul.
Meanwhile, on the U.S.-Canada border, officers seized over $4 million worth of cocaine hidden behind a “false wall” in a tractor-trailer in August
Over 53,783 pounds of cocaine have been seized nationwide in Fiscal Year 2024, according to CBP data.
Law enforcement officials at the U.S.-Mexico border seized 24,152 pounds of cocaine overall in the Southwest border in the 2023-2024 fiscal year as of July 2024.
Nearly half of the cocaine seized in the U.S. entered the country through the southern border.
There were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health statistics.
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug created from the leaves of the coca plant, which is native to South America.
Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst at Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told Newsweek: “People are using drugs whether we like it or not, and that has to be the starting point for any pragmatic policy thinking. We have a choice; we either responsibly regulate these drugs or we leave them in the hands of organized crime groups. There is no third option in which those markets simply disappear.”
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