U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers busted a large drug smuggling attempt in Texas, seizing over $1.1 million in cocaine at the southern border.
According to Fox News Digital, US Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted approximately 100 pounds of suspected cocaine in an empty commercial tractor-trailer. The trailer was halted on April 15 when it crossed into the United States from Reynosa, Mexico.
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This comes as the Department of Homeland Security continues to declare that Border Patrol agents have not released a single migrant into the United States’ interior for 11 months in a row, indicating record low numbers of unlawful crossings.
Acting CBP Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello stated that, in addition to stopping illegal crossings, an “effective combination of technological tools and inspection experience” ensures that “these narcotics will not enter the United States and wreak further havoc on our communities.”
According to CBP, agents marked the empty car for secondary inspection, which included nonintrusive inspection equipment and canine screening. A physical inspection revealed 32 packages of suspected cocaine weighing more than 83 pounds, buried beneath the trailer floor. According to the DEA, the cocaine has an estimated street value of $1,111,503.
Officers seized the narcotics, truck, and trailer, and Homeland Security Investigations launched a criminal investigation into the seizure.
Following the seizure, Vitiello said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital that “under the powerful leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin, our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience to zero-in on and interdict this significant cocaine load.”
Vitiello said that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.”
Earlier this month, Mullin boasted of eleven months of “zero” border releases.
He stated that “under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history,” further stating, “The world knows America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”
DHS reported that in March, CBP seized over 65,000 pounds of drugs, including 613 pounds of fentanyl.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott attributed “America First policies, real consequences, and a unified federal effort—backed by personnel, infrastructure, and technology” to “how we’ve delivered the most secure border in U.S. history.” “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we’re building on what works, refining our approach, and implementing real border security,” he said, adding, “This isn’t a temporary situation; it’s the new normal.”
