Texas CBP Officers Seize $2.2M in Marijuana

Del Rio, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Del Rio port of entry maintained their vigilance this week and seized more than a ton of marijuana hidden in a commercial truck.

The seizure occurred on April 26 at the Del Rio International Bridge. A CBP officer referred a 1996 Kenworth tractor hauling a manifested shipment of concrete block driven by a 37-year-old male Mexican citizen from Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico for a secondary examination. In secondary, CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the tractor trailer and discovered 400 packages within the shipment that contained 2,285 pounds of alleged marijuana. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $2.2 million.

No immediate arrests were made; however an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations special agents remains ongoing.

“This is the largest seizure of marijuana so far in Fiscal Year 2011 made by CBP officers at the Del Rio port of entry and underscores the importance of maintaining a robust border security enforcement posture,” said Michael Perez, CBP Port Director, Del Rio.

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.