Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Customs and Border Protection at Hidalgo Seizes Over Half Million Dollars in Methamphetamine


Hidalgo, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations at the Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge seized over 40 pounds of methamphetamine, arrested a child smuggler, arrested two imposters and also arrested five individuals wanted on state/local arrest warrants this weekend. 

On May 5, 2012 a gold 2001 Honda Odyssey driven by a 54-year-old male Mexican national arrived at the Hidalgo International Bridge and the driver presented his legal permanent resident card to the CBP officer. The vehicle and occupant were referred to secondary for a more thorough examination and it was there that officers discovered 23 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing approximately 18.72 kilograms (41.27 pounds) which was hidden within the vehicle. CBP seized the narcotics and the vehicle as well.

The male traveler was released to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) for further investigation.

Also on May 5, 2012 at the Hidalgo International Bridge CBP officers encountered two adult male travelers at the pedestrian crossing who presented Mexican border crossing cards. Both travelers were referred to secondary for further document review and through the use of database checks, it was revealed that the documents presented were legitimate documents that belonged to someone else. CBP officers discovered that the two travelers were citizens and nationals from Guatemala without legal documents to enter or reside in the United States.

On May 6, 2012 CBP officers working at the Pharr/Reynosa International Bridge encountered a 32-year-old female United States citizen from Hidalgo, Texas and two minor male children in a green 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier. The adult female traveler presented a U.S. passport card for herself and State of Texas birth certificates for the two boys. The vehicle and occupants were referred to secondary for further inspection and document review. In secondary CBP officers discovered that only one of the boys was related to the adult female and was a U.S. citizen, the other boy was found to be a Guatemalan national without documents to enter or reside in the United States.

The adult female traveler and two males were incarcerated pending appearance before a U.S. Federal Magistrate on criminal charges for violation of U.S. immigration law. The United States citizen child was released to an adult family member who arrived to take custody and the Guatemalan boy was released to a U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Refugee Resettlement facility where he will be temporarily housed.

Lastly, CBP officers at the Hidalgo/Pharr International Bridges arrested five individuals wanted on state/local arrest warrants this weekend. The arrest warrants ranged from probation violations, failure to appear, driving while intoxicated (DWI), to juveniles reported missing. All individuals were subsequently released to the custody of either the Hidalgo or Pharr Police Departments for further investigation.

‘This was a busy weekend for our officers in Hidalgo and Pharr”, said Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas, “but through their excellent commitment and diligence, this load of hard narcotics and the child smuggler were intercepted. Our ability to check everyone attempting to cross the border through our databases allows us to detect those who present someone else’s documents and those wanted on arrest warrants thus keeping our country safe.

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.

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