U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Seize Nearly $600,000 in Cocaine at Brownsville Port of Entry

(Tuesday, March 01, 2011)contacts for this news releaseBrownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge this weekend discovered cocaine valued at approximately $598,400 concealed within a Volkswagen Jetta.On Sunday, February 27, CBP officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge intercepted a man driving a gray 2001 Volkswagen Jetta as he approached the primary inspection station. The driver, identified as a 27-year-old male Mexican citizen who resides in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was escorted to secondary for further inspection after a primary CBP officer discovered undeclared packages hidden within the Jetta. Examination by CBP officers in secondary revealed nine concealed packages within the Volkswagen. CBP officers removed the packages from the vehicle which had a combined total weight of 8.47 kilograms (18.7 pounds) of alleged cocaine.The alleged cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of approximately $598,400. CBP officers turned the man over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation. CBP officers seized the narcotics and the vehicle.“Over a half million dollar’s worth of cocaine is off the streets of Brownsville thanks to CBP officers working towards the protection of our country on the frontline. I congratulate our officers for the seizure of this alleged cocaine and for the arrest of the driver,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville.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.