Customs Nabs Couple Smuggling 31 lbs of Cocaine

EL PASO, TEXAS U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Paso Del Norte (PDN) crossing in downtown El Paso made a substantial cocaine seizure on Wednesday, June 22. CBP officers seized 31.5 pounds of the drug with an estimated street value of $950,000. The apprehension was made Wednesday afternoon when a 1993 Ford Thunderbird entered the port from Mexico. CBP officers noticed that the driver and passenger were extremely nervous during routine questioning. The vehicle was sent to the secondary inspection area for a thorough exam. CBP drug sniffing dog Trooper searched the car and alerted to the dashboard area. CBP officers drilled into the area, producing a white substance that tested positive for cocaine. CBP officers removed a total of 14 cocaine-filled packages from a hidden compartment inside the dashboard. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents arrested both occupants of the vehicle in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. Taken into custody were the driver, 41-year-old Alma Rosa Sustaita-Cardoza of Chihuahua City, Mexico, and her passenger, 26-year-old Ruben Antonio Basurto-Mendoza, also of Chihuahua City, Mexico. In addition to the cocaine seizure, CBP officers at the El Paso port entry made three additional drug busts Wednesday, seizing 409 pounds of marijuana. CBP officers at the Ysleta crossing made two of the seizures, confiscating 302.4 pounds of marijuana. A seizure at the PDN crossing netted an additional 106.9 pounds of marijuana. Anti-terrorism remains out number one priority however the intensive inspection process in place at our ports of entry leads to the discovery of numerous violations every day, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection El Paso Port Director David Longoria. Drugs, fugitives, prohibited food products and illegal immigrants are stopped daily because of the dedication and attention to detail of the CBP workforce in El Paso.