09/16/2009

News / Brownsville CBP Seizes Cocaine Found in Drivers Bag of Chips

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge discovered more than $262,000 in cocaine hidden throughout a Dodge Stratus; one male U.S. citizen was arrested.


On Monday, September 14, at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge, CBP officers referred a 1998 Dodge Stratus driven by Robert Andrew Quiroga, a 63-year-old U.S. citizen and resident of Corpus Christi, Texas for a secondary inspection. In secondary, CBP officers discovered an unusually heavy potato chip bag containing a tightly wrapped package full of cocaine.

CBP officers’ examination of the driver also revealed another package found in his coat pocket. “Jack Hammer,” a narcotic detector dog, further alerted officers to the odor of narcotics emanating from within the interior of the Dodge Stratus. An intensive inspection of the Dodge by CBP officers revealed discrepancies to the dash area of the vehicle. CBP officers’ intensified examination revealed nine packages for a combined weight of more than eight pounds of cocaine.



The cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of over $262,000. The driver was arrested by CBP officers and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who investigated the seizure and processed the driver on federal drug charges.


“When you think you have seen it all, Brownsville’s CBP officers find another place would-be smugglers are trying to use to bring in their narcotics. This interception of cocaine is another example of how our officers’ vigilance and training continue to benefit us all. This discovery was great work by our officers,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/09152009_2.xml

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