October 7, 09

NEWS / CBP Officers at Starr County International Bridge Seize Marijuana Valued at $34,000 from Vehicle Flo

Roma, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Starr County International Bridge seized nearly 42 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $34,000.

On October 3, CBP officers working pre-primary enforcement operations at the Roma port of entry came in contact with a northbound 1997 Ford Expedition. A CBP officer referred the vehicle and driver to secondary for an intensive examination. In secondary, officers noted discrepancies within the vehicle’s floor area. “Joker,” a narcotic detector dog, sniffed out the narcotic odors emanating from the Expedition’s undercarriage.


While conducting an intensive examination of the vehicle’s undercarriage, officers found a secret compartment which concealed 28 marijuana packages. The driver, identified as Luis Alberto Sotelo Corona, a Mexican citizen, age 20 from Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico was arrested and transferred to the custody of the Roma, Texas Police Department. Sotelo Corona is to be processed on state drug charges.


Cris Cantu, CBP port director, Roma/Falcon Dam said, “Our pre-primary enforcement operation netted a significant amount of marijuana.” Cantu further said, “This is yet another example of the great work our frontline CBP officers and K-9 units do everyday.”

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/10052009_7.xml