August 18, 09

NEWS / CBP Officers Seize $7.9 Million in Marijuana, Cocaine at Laredo Port of Entry

Laredo, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Laredo port of entry on Thursday discovered more than a ton of marijuana and 183 pounds of cocaine in two separate enforcement actions. The narcotics have a total combined estimated street value of $7.9 million.

The largest seizure in terms of weight occurred on Thursday, August 13 at the World Trade Bridge. A CBP officer referred a 2004 Freightliner tractor hauling a trailer laden with a shipment of frozen broccoli for secondary inspection. A non-intrusive imaging system scan indicated anomalies within the shipment. CBP Canine “Grizzly” alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the rear of the trailer. CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the tractor trailer at the cargo dock and discovered bundles commingled with the shipment.


CBP officers discovered 157 bundles containing 2,153 pounds of marijuana and three bundles containing 49 pounds of cocaine. The narcotics have a combined estimated street value of $3.6 million. CBP officers arrested the driver, Edmundo Zarate Olivos, 37, a Mexican citizen from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico and turned him over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who investigated the seizure and processed Zarate Olivos on federal drug charges.


Also on Thursday, CBP officers seized a large load of cocaine hidden in a commercial bus at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge. A CBP officer referred a 1993 Mercedes bus driven by a 30-year-old U.S. citizen from Conroe, Texas for a routine non-intrusive imaging system scan. The scan indicated anomalies in the floor area. CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the floor area and discovered 51 packages containing a total of 134 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $4.3 million. No immediate arrest was made, but an investigation of the seizure by ICE special agents remains ongoing.


“These two narcotics seizures, valued at $7.9 million, underscore the clear threat of large scale narcotics trafficking in South Texas,” said Gene Garza, CBP port director, Laredo. “CBP remains committed to securing the border, interdicting narcotics loads at the Laredo port of entry and protecting our citizens from the destructive effects of these poisons.”

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/08142009_5.xml