El Paso, Texas -- U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized
just under 5 ounces of heroin Monday. The drugs were concealed within the body
cavity of a pedestrian border crosser.
“Internal body carriers are not common
at land border ports of entry so this is a significant seizure,” said CBP El
Paso Port Director Hector Mancha. “Heroin is a valuable commodity to drug
smuggling groups so seizing almost 5 ounces is a sizable loss for the people
involved in this failed attempt.”
The seizure was made at approximately
1:30 p.m. Monday at the Paso Del Norte pedestrian crossing. A 35-year-old U.S.
citizen from El Paso entered the port from Mexico and was selected for a
secondary exam by CBP officers. CBP drug sniffing dog “Malone” alerted to the
man. During the course of an interview with CBP officers the subject admitted
that he had heroin concealed within his body. The subject removed a single oval
shaped pellet from an internal cavity. The contents of the 136 gram bundle
tested positive for heroin.
CBP officers took custody of the subject
and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI special
agents for arrest. Federal prosecution was accepted and HSI agents booked the
subject, Paulo Alfredo Macias, into the El Paso County Jail where he is
currently being detained without bond.
While anti-terrorism is the primary
mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the
ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of
enforcement actions in all categories.
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 official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and
terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment