U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working the El Paso, Texas area ports of entry made 12 seizures of counter-band drugs during the President’s Day holiday weekend.
As reported yesterday the largest weekend seizure took place on Sunday just after 2 p.m. at the Ysleta international crossing at the El Paso port of entry. CBP officers initiated an exam of a 1996 GMC Sierra pickup that arrived from Mexico and selected the vehicle for an x-ray exam. CBP officers scanned the vehicle and noted the appearance of foreign objects in the fuel tank and in the back seat area. They allowed the drug sniffing dog “Basty” to search the truck, the dog alerted them to the presence of drugs. CBP officers discovered 44 marijuana-filled bundles in the rear cab of the truck and large metal boxes containing compressed marijuana in the gas tank. The weight of all the seized marijuana was 207 pounds.
CBP officers took custody of the driver, 22-year-old Isaac Gutierrez Estevane of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico. He was turned over to and arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. He is currently detained at the El Paso County jail with no bond.
“The combination of officer expertise, high technology and our canine assets led to this seizure,” said Barry Miller, CBP El Paso acting Port Director. “The layers of enforcement CBP employs should serve as deterrent for those considering the smuggling trade.”
The estimated street value of the seized weekend contraband is $630,400 and amounted to a weight of 788 pounds.
February 21, 2013
Comments