U.S. Customs & Border Seize 857 Lbs of Marijuana at El Paso Port of Entry

EL PASO, TEXAS U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers performing anti-terrorism inspections at El Paso area border ports of entry made their largest marijuana seizure of 2006. CBP officers discovered 857 pounds of marijuana hidden in the tires of commercial trailer Wednesday, February 15, 2006. During the past week, area CBP officers 2,965 pounds of marijuana and a small quantity of cocaine in 27 different busts. The 857-pound marijuana seizure was made Wednesday afternoon at the Bridge of the Americas commercial cargo facility in El Paso. CBP officers noticed a number of discrepancies in a tractor-trailer that arrived from Mexico. The vehicle was sent to the truck X-ray system that revealed anomalies in the tires. CBP drug sniffing dog Freedom searched the rig and alerted to the tires. A Buster density meter confirmed the presence of foreign objects within the rear tires of the trailer. CBP officers dismantled the tires and removed a total of 374 marijuana-filled bundles from the eight rear tires of the trailer. No arrests were made and the investigation is continuing. In addition to the drug seizures, area CBP officers apprehended 31 fugitives during the past seven days. A total of 399 wanted people have been apprehended by area CBP officers since October 1, 2005, the beginning of the fiscal year. Last year area CBP officers apprehend in excess of 1,200 wanted people while performing inspections at area ports of entry. Area CBP officers this week identified a total of nine attempts to smuggle prohibited food and agricultural products, resulting in $1,150 in penalties being assessed. Prohibited food and agriculture items seized during the past week included smuggled pork, bologna, sugar cane, apples avocados, oranges, guavas, and plums. A number of diseased plants were also discovered during Valentines Day enforcement activities. CBP officers identified 72 immigration violations at El Paso ports during the past week. CBP officers also identified 44 intended immigrant cases (people with legitimate entry documents intending to live/work illegally in the U.S.), 11 false claims for U.S. citizenship, 10 people attempting to enter the U.S. with counterfeit entry documents, four imposters (people using a legitimate document not assigned to the person), one person hidden in the trunk of a car, and two visa overstay violations.