At the Fort Hancock port of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made a significant drug bust this past Wednesday, seizing a combination of methamphetamine and fentanyl. According to a press release from CBP, the illegal substances weighed in at a total of 37.8 pounds of meth and 5.6 pounds of fentanyl, tucked away inside a vehicle.
Officials indicated the driver of the vehicle, a 22-year-old female U.S. citizen, was attempting to cross from Mexico when she was stopped by officers around 7:30 a.m. Traffic, which tends to be light at the Fort Hancock crossing, did not deter the vigilance of CBP staff. CBP Marcelino Serna Port Director Eric Fernandez stated, "Even though traffic is generally light at the Fort Hancock port of entry our CBP officers remain vigilant and are keenly aware that at any time the next arriving person or vehicle could pose a threat to the safety of our community," as noted on the CBP website.
The bust occurred after officers selected the woman's 2013 Nissan Pathfinder for a secondary inspection. A CBP drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, prompting a meticulous search of the vehicle. Agents discovered 38 bundles concealed within the dashboard, the majority of which contained methamphetamine, while the remaining ones held multi-colored fentanyl pills.
The 22-year-old was arrested on the spot, facing federal importation charges for a controlled substance. She was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations' special agents promptly after the seizure.
