HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $2,700,300 of cocaine in a passenger bus.
“Our CBP officers continue the tireless work of intercepting large amounts of narcotics to safeguard our border,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.
On Feb. 24, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a commercial passenger bus making entry from Mexico. A CBP officer selected the vehicle for inspection which included utilizing nonintrusive inspection (NII) equipment and screening by a canine team. Physical inspection of the vehicle resulted in officers extracting a total of 80 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 208.16 pounds (94.42 kg) concealed within the bus. A total of $22,051 in currency was also seized from the driver and passengers as it was deemed to be alleged proceeds of illicit activity.
CBP OFO seized the narcotics and vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations arrested the driver and six passengers and initiated a criminal investigation.
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