A 20-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested on Tuesday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 45.2 pounds of cocaine hidden in her vehicle at the Bridge of the Americas international crossing in El Paso, Texas. The seizure occurred early in the morning when the woman, driving a 2016 Hyundai Elantra, was selected for a secondary inspection as she arrived from Mexico.
According to the CBP news release, a CBP drug-sniffing dog was brought in to quickly scan the car and flagged the presence of narcotics. Officers found the drugs stashed within the vehicle's rocker panels. The discovery was initially prompted by an anomaly detected during a nonintrusive x-ray scan of the car.
"Every day our dedicated CBP workforce stands guard protecting our community from any and all threats," said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. "Our homeland security mission is never ending and every drug load that we prevent from reaching its intended destination makes a difference," he added, as reported by the CBP.
Following the dog's alert, CBP officers were to comprehensively search the vehicle, ultimately removing 19 cocaine-filled bundles from the hidden compartments. The young woman was immediately taken into custody and handed over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s office, where she faces charges related to the failed drug smuggling attempt.
