CBP Officers Seize Over $587,000 in Cocaine and Marijuana and Six Liters of Liquid Methamphetamine at Brownsville Port of Entry

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville port of entry had a busy weekend and effected three significant narcotics seizures. CBP officers discovered alleged cocaine and marijuana valued at approximately $587,600 hidden in two separate vehicles and seized six liters of alleged liquid methamphetamine in beer bottles being brought into the country on a bicycle over the busy Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

CBP officers working at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge discovered hidden packages within the tires of the Ford Explorer, with a combined total weight of 53.16 kilograms (117.2 pounds) of alleged marijuana.

In the first seizure on Sunday, January 16 at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge, a primary CBP officer’s inspection of a red 1998 Ford Explorer resulted in the vehicle and its driver, a man identified as a 26-year-old United States citizen who resides in Brownsville, Texas, being referred to CBP secondary for further examination. At secondary, CBP officers discovered hidden packages within the tires of the Ford Explorer. CBP officers removed a total of 16 bricks of alleged marijuana from the vehicle with a combined total weight of 53.16 kilograms (117.2 pounds) of alleged marijuana.

CBP officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge used their high-tech tools and discovered hidden packages within the floor of the Mercury Mountaineer, with a combined total weight of 6.65 kilograms (14.7 pounds) of alleged cocaine. 

The alleged marijuana from this seizure has an estimated street value of approximately $117,200.

The second case also occurred on January 16 at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge. In this case, a primary CBP officer referred a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer driven by a 27-year-old female U. S. citizen who resides in Brownsville, Texas, for a secondary examination. At secondary, CBP officers used their high-tech tools and discovered hidden packages within the floor of the Mercury Mountaineer. CBP officers removed a total of six packages of alleged cocaine from the vehicle with a combined total weight of 6.65 kilograms (14.7 pounds) of alleged cocaine.

The alleged cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of approximately $470,400.

In a third case, CBP officers at the Gateway International Bridge on Monday, January 17 intercepted a man on a bicycle carrying a box with five 1.2 liter bottles of beer. He was identified as a 46-year-old Mexico citizen who resides in Brownsville, Texas.

A primary inspection of the bottles revealed discrepancies in the liquid within the bottles. The man was escorted to CBP secondary for further examination. In secondary, CBP officers tested the contents in the bottles which resulted in all five bottles containing alleged liquid methamphetamine. The street value of the alleged liquid methamphetamine would vary depending upon various factors including final weight and purity following laboratory analysis.

CBP officers at Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville tested contents in beer bottles; all five beer bottles contained 1.2 liters of alleged liquid methamphetamine (six liters total).

In all three cases CBP officers seized the narcotics, vehicles and the bicycle and turned the drivers over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.

“I commend our officers for these outstanding seizures at the Brownsville port of entry. Whether the alleged smuggler is in a car or on a bike, our CBP officers will stay focused and ever vigilant in furtherance of our critical mission on the border,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville port of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.