Laredo Port of Entry Seizure of Fentanyl Worth Over $384K

LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized fentanyl in one enforcement action that totaled over $384,600 in street value.

"CBP has seen an increase in smuggling attempts concerning illicit fentanyl manufactured in Mexico," said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. "Officers remain at the forefront of border security operations to protect the public from lethal narcotics, such as these, from reaching our communities"

Packages containing 28 pounds of fentanyl seized by CBP officers at the Laredo Port of Entry.

The seizure occurred on Wednesday, June 23rd, at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, when a CBP officer processing commercial buses arriving from Mexico, referred a 2015 Volvo bus for a secondary examination. Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system examination, CBP officers discovered a total of six packages containing 28.26 pounds of alleged fentanyl concealed within the bus. A 42-year-old male passenger, a United States citizen, was interviewed in relation to the discovery, resulting in his detention.

The narcotics had an estimated street value of $384,600.

CBP seized the narcotics. The passenger was arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.