Customs Seize 5.4 Lbs Cocaine

EL PASO, TEXAS U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Paso Del Norte port of entry in downtown El Paso seized 5.4 pounds of cocaine Wednesday night. The drugs have an estimated street value of $162,000. The seizure was made shortly after 9 p.m. when a 2003 Ford Explorer entered the port of entry from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection booth selected the vehicle for a secondary inspection following his initial interview. In the secondary inspection area, a CBP officer asked the male passenger to lift his shirt after noticing an unusual bulge in his midsection area. The officer immediately took the individual into custody after spotting bundles under his shirt. The contents of the two packages tested positive for cocaine. The man carrying the cocaine was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. He is identified as 20-year-old Michael Anthony Garcia of El Paso, Texas. He is currently being detained at the El Paso County Jail. Our anti-terror exams continue to generate significant seizures and arrests, said Luis Garcia, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations in El Paso. People who are waiting to cross the border are not doing so in vain. A day does not pass when CBP officers intercept sizeable amounts of contraband and apprehend dangerous people at our border ports of entry because of our inspection process. Anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBPs anti-terror inspections at border ports of entry continue to generate significant seizures and apprehensions in a wide variety of enforcement categories.