Marijuana-Stuffed Mattresses Discovered By CBP Officers at Fabens, Texas Entry

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Fabens, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers performing anti-terror inspections at the Fabens port of entry seized 187 pounds of marijuana Tuesday night. The drugs were concealed in a pair of new mattresses being transported across the border from Mexico.

The seizure was made just before 10 p.m. when a 1994 Ford pickup entered the facility from Mexico. The driver of the pickup declared a load of furniture he was carrying in the bed of the pickup to the CBP officer performing the primary inspection. The driver was nervous during routine questioning so CBP officers initiated a search of the furniture. They soon discovered that a pair of mattresses contained marijuana. CBP officers cut open both mattresses and recovered 133 marijuana-filled bundles that were hidden inside.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents arrested the driver of the pickup in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. He is identified as 24-year0old Tito Ismael Barron Uribe of Salvarca, Chihuahua, Mexico.

This seizure is the latest in a series of unusual drug concealment methods encountered by CBP officers working at ports of entry in El Paso, West Texas and New Mexico. During the last few weeks, CBP officers have discovered marijuana packed in jars of jalapenos, encased in holiday candles, hidden in boxes of floor tile, inside pots and planters, within a transmission transfer case, and inside picture frames.