November 24, 09

NEWS / Ecstasy Seizure by CBP Leads to Arrests at Texas Entry

El Paso, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the El Paso port of entry apprehended a pair of female travelers from New Mexico after they discovered the women transporting ecstasy and ketamine across the border from Mexico. Three others in the car were released following the Saturday morning seizure.


“All the occupants of the vehicle were dehydrated and appeared disoriented which are commonly identified as symptoms of ecstasy use,” said William Molaski, U.S. Customs and Border Protection El Paso port director. “While enforcing our primary enforcement mission, CBP officers also closely monitored the health of the group and provided water throughout the day to help the travelers rehydrate.”


The ecstasy/ketamine seizure was made just after 7 a.m. when a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu with five occupants entered the port from Mexico. A CBP officer performed an inspection of the car and located a tin box which contained five tablets that tested positive for ecstasy. The driver of the car and another female occupant were also found to be carrying ketamine, a pharmaceutical commonly used as an animal tranquilizer. A black capsule that could not be identified was also found.


The two females, a 21-year-old from Las Cruces and a 21-year-old from Corrales, were turned over to the El Paso Police Department for local prosecution on drug charges. Three male occupants of the car were released shortly before 3:00 p.m.


In addition to the ecstasy/ketamine seizure, CBP officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized 473 pounds of marijuana in six seizures and an additional eight vials of ketamine in another bust during the weekend.


While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/11232009_1.xml