CBP Report

CBP Officers Nab 1,400 Pounds of Marijuana at Southern Calif. Port

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

San Diego – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo port of entry arrested a Mexican driver and seized 1,400 pounds of marijuana from a tractor-trailer rig that entered the port from Mexico Friday morning, March 9, officials announced today.

CBP officers found 76 wrapped packages of the narcotic valued at about $500,000 hidden within boxes manifested as acrylic display products inside the trailer of the 1984 International rig, officials said.

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CBP Officers Seize Record Heroin Seizure at Andrade, Calif. Port

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Andrade, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Andrade port of entry arrested a Mexican female after officers discovered more than 54 pounds of heroin in the vehicle she was driving as she entered from Mexico yesterday morning, officials announced today.

“This is the largest heroin seizure recorded for the Andrade port of entry,” said Ray Nagy, port director for the Andrade port of entry. “This impressive seizure shows that through their training, hard work and effective use of technology, CBP officers are committed to keeping dangerous contraband and people out of our communities.”

Officers referred the driver, a 25-year old resident of Yuma, AZ, and the 1994 Chevrolet Lumina for a more intensive examination at about 2:15 p.m. March 12. During the secondary inspection, a narcotic detector canine alerted to the Lumina, which prompted officers to run the vehicle through the mobile X-ray machine. X-ray images showed anomalies within the wheel well area of the vehicle.

CBP officers subsequently found 20 wrapped packages of the narcotic valued at about $1 million.

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CBP Checkpoint Agents Confiscate More Than $1 Million in Narcotics Over Weekend

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Sarita, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents intercepted over 1,000 pounds of marijuana, and over seven pounds of cocaine. The value of the narcotics is more than $1 million.

Two seizures occurred on March 9. The largest seizure occurred when agents at the Sarita Border Patrol checkpoint conducted an immigration inspection on a driver of a commercial tractor-trailer. As the primary agent questioned the driver as to his citizenship, a CBP Border Patrol Canine Unit alerted to the vehicle. A search of the trailer resulted in the discovery of 85 bundles of marijuana weighing 1,032 pounds concealed within a load of cucumbers. The marijuana has an estimated value of $825,600.

The second seizure occurred when agents conducted an immigration inspection on the driver of a red Volkswagen Jetta. A CBP Border Patrol Canine alerted to the vehicle leading agents to the discovery of nine bundles of marijuana and one bundle of cocaine. The seizure of the 22 pounds of marijuana was valued at $17,600 and the two pounds of cocaine was valued at $64,000. In both cases, the vehicles were seized, and the driver and the narcotics were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending an investigation.

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CBP Border Patrol Seizes More Than a Ton of Marijuana

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Nogales, Ariz. — At midnight March 13, agents at the Ajo, Ariz. station seized a Chevrolet Avalanche with a more than a ton of marijuana inside.

Ajo agents working near the village of Menagers, on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation, encountered three vehicles that had driven illegally across the border from Mexico. When the drivers of the vehicles spotted the Border Patrol agents they tried to turn back south and drive back into Mexico.

One of the vehicles, a 2004 black Chevy Avalanche, became stuck. The driver of this vehicle exited the Avalanche and started to run south. The other two vehicles made it back into Mexico.When agents approached the Avalanche they discovered the marijuana. A search of the area for the driver of the vehicle was negative and no arrests were made.

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CBP Border Patrol Arrest 45 Aliens Near School Bus

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Tucson, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents assigned to Tucson Sector arrested 45 illegal aliens in and around a parked school bus.

On March 9, at 11 p.m., agents assigned to the Wilcox Border Patrol station responded to a request for assistance with a vehicle stop at the intersection of 4th Street and Ocotillo Street, from the Benson, Arizona Police Department. The Agents arrived and began to help search for two or three subjects who fled on foot.

An agent then deployed a mobile infrared scope to look for the absconders. The agent spotted a school bus parked south of Ocotillo Street and observed groups of six to 10 people exiting the bus. Several agents approached the bus on foot and found five illegal aliens on the bus. A search of the immediate area near the school bus revealed 40 more illegal aliens for a total of 45.

Records checks indicated that the bus was not currently registered to any school or organization. The bus was also bearing a fictitious government license plate.

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CBP Seizes Cocaine Valued At $2.8 Million Monday Night At Brownsville Port Of Entry

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry seized a large load of cocaine Monday night valued at $2.8 million during a routine inspection.

The seizure occurred shortly after 10 p.m. on March 12 at Gateway International Bridge. CBP officers referred a 2002 Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Juan Jose Buenrostro, 52, a U.S. citizen from Brownsville for a secondary examination. During the examination, CBP Canine “Britta” alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the floorboard area.

CBP officers probed the area and found cocaine packages in a floor compartment. CBP officers seized a total of 89 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine has an estimated street value of about $2.8 million. CBP officers arrested Buenrostro on federal drug charges and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who investigated the seizure.