U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported busting a smuggling operation at a port of entry at the United States-Mexico border.
CBP told Blaze News that officers at the cargo facility at the Pharr International Bridge had seized $634,000 worth of cocaine on Friday.
‘The Department of Homeland Security and CBP have delivered the most secure border in history, stopping illicit narcotics and dangerous criminal aliens from entering our communities.’
The alleged contraband was found hidden in a commercial tractor-trailer coming from Reynosa, Mexico, and heading into the U.S., CBP said.
CBP said the vehicle was referred to secondary inspection and that officers detected anomalies using a nonintrusive inspection device. Officers then physically inspected the vehicle and discovered 47.48 pounds of alleged cocaine concealed in 18 packages.
Special agents of Homeland Security Investigations initiated an investigation, and the Office of Field Operations at CBP seized both the vehicle and the alleged narcotics, CBP said.
“Our CBP officers continue to successfully use their skills and expertise to intercept another load of hard narcotics,” said Carlos Rodriguez, the port director at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas port of entry.
The massive port of entry has often been the site of smuggling operations thwarted by customs officials. In 2024, CBP reported seizing $5.4 million in methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of papayas.
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“Fulfilling President Donald J. Trump’s mandate, the Department of Homeland Security and CBP have delivered the most secure border in history, stopping illicit narcotics and dangerous criminal aliens from entering our communities, which will keep America safe for generations to come,” read the press release from CBP given to Blaze News.
Luis Bazan, the director of the Pharr International Bridge, said in 2024 that an estimated $50 billion worth of trade flows through the enormous international industrial corridor.
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