A New Mexico woman is accused of trying to roll across the Paso Del Norte bridge in downtown El Paso with nearly 58 pounds of suspected methamphetamine hidden in her SUV, a load federal officials estimate at roughly $500,000.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made the bust on June 18 after routing the SUV to a secondary inspection area, where a CBP K-9 alerted, according to CBS4. The vehicle had crossed from Ciudad Juárez into El Paso via the Paso Del Norte bridge. Photos released by CBP El Paso and included in local coverage show multiple plastic-wrapped bundles piled on a scale. Agents measured the suspected meth at 57.90 pounds before taking the driver into federal custody. Officials have not released the suspect's name.
How Officers Uncovered the Load
Local reporting in the border region fills in a few more details. El Diario de Juárez reports the shipment weighed about 25.85 kilograms and was valued at more than half a million dollars. The outlet cites a CBP message that applauded officers' "decisive action" and teamwork in the interdiction, and it also places the seizure on June 18 at the Paso Del Norte bridge.
Part of a Pattern at the Bridge
The Paso Del Norte crossing has seen more than its share of drug cases this year. In March, KVIA detailed an earlier operation at the same port of entry that turned up close to 140 kilos of mixed narcotics, highlighting how the downtown bridges remain a prime corridor for high-weight smuggling attempts.
Federal authorities say the June 18 case is still under investigation and that charges have not yet been announced. Officials maintain the seizure pulled a substantial quantity of dangerous narcotics out of circulation and credited canine and inspection teams for spotting the hidden load.
