December 23, 09

NEWS / CBP Officers Seize More than 600 Ecstasy Pills at Brownsville Port of Entry

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge discovered $12,400 in Ecstasy concealed under the clothing of a male body carrier; one U.S. citizen was arrested.


On December 19, CBP officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge referred a pedestrian for secondary inspection. At secondary the man was identified as Oscar Javier Rodea, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from Brownsville, Texas. CBP officers’ examination of the male’s clothing and person resulted in the discovery that the male had a package containing a total of 620 pills of Ecstasy hidden under his clothing.

The Ecstasy, also known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, in this enforcement action has an estimated street value of $12,400. Oscar Javier Rodea was arrested by CBP officers and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who continue to investigate the seizure. After thorough review of the case, the pedestrian was processed by the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office on state drug charges.


“CBP officers working the primary inspection area maintained their alertness and applied their experience and inspection skills which greatly contributed to the interception of this load of narcotics. The continued training our officers receive has had outstanding result with this seizure of hundreds of Ecstasy pills,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/12212009_2.xml