CBP at Pharr International Bridge thwart drug smuggling in produce loads

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility prevented three smuggling attempts involving a total of nearly $3.5 million in narcotics from crossing the border and making their way into our communities.

“Our frontline CBP officers exhibited great perseverance and dedication to the CBP border security mission of keeping dangerous drugs from crossing our border with Mexico which resulted in these significant interceptions of hard narcotics at our cargo facility,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas.

CBP officers assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility on May 29, 2021 inspected a tractor/trailer arriving from Mexico containing a load of fresh mangoes and with the use of all available tools and resources, they discovered packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the shipment. Officers removed 635 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing 131 pounds (59.5 kg) which have a street value of $2,623,500.

That same day, officers inspected a shipment of fresh cabbage and ultimately discovered 30 packages of alleged cocaine hidden within the tractor. These narcotics weighed 73.5 pounds (33.38 kg) and are valued at $567,500.

Days earlier, officers discovered 14 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 37 pounds (16.80 kg) valued at $285,500 hidden within an empty tractor arriving from Mexico.

CBP OFO seized all the narcotics, the conveyances and the cases remain under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).