October 15, 09

NEWS / CBP Officers Seize $400,000 in Cocaine at Brownsville Port of Entry

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge discovered more than $406,000 in cocaine hidden within the walls of a Pontiac Grand Prix; one male and one female Mexican citizens were arrested.


On Monday, October 12, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge, CBP officers referred a white 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Jesus Antonio Orozco Ponce, 22, along with two passengers, 18-year-old Gabriela Nazareth Montalvo Lucio and a 17-year-old minor all Mexican citizens and residents of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico for a secondary inspection. In secondary, CBP officers found discrepancies to the interior of the Grand Prix.

CBP officers’ intensive examination of the vehicle revealed five tightly wrapped packages within the walls of the Pontiac. The five packages found to contain a total of nearly 13 pounds of cocaine were removed from within the walls of the Grand Prix.


The cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of more than $406,000. The driver and 18-year-old passenger were arrested by CBP officers and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who investigated the seizure and processed the driver on federal drug charges.


“The use of high-tech tools has assisted Brownville CBP officers in stopping this load of dangerous narcotics from being smuggled into the country. This is a good interception and great use of our high-tech equipment in the protection of our borders,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/10132009.xml