Federal agents busted a 26-year-old woman attempting to cross the border with $1.7 million worth of meth hidden inside her Kia Sorrento. The massive narcotics seizure occurred last week at the Rio Grande City International Bridge in Texas.
The woman was arrested after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Port of Entry requested that she pull over her 2016 Kia Sorrento for secondary examination. Using a canine squad and a non-intrusive inspection technology, CBP officials discovered 83 packages containing a total of 191.40 pounds of suspected methamphetamine stashed within the vehicle.
CBP seized the meth, which had a street value of $1,760,015, and the car and turned them over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The driver of the Kia was arrested by DEA special agents, who launched a criminal investigation.
“Our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of technology and inspections experience to take down this significant load of methamphetamine in a passenger vehicle,” said Port Director Rogelio Olivares, Rio Grande City Port of Entry. “This seizure underscores the reality of the drug threat and the importance of upholding our priority border security mission.”
The next day, at the Hidalgo International Bridge in Texas, CBP officials observed a 2013 Nissan Rogue crossing into the United States from Mexico. A physical investigation of the car revealed 21 packets of cocaine with an estimated market value of $618,744. The narcotics and vehicle were seized and handed over to Texas Department of Public Safety agents.
That same day, CBP officials discovered another 23 packages of cocaine worth $739,000 hidden inside a Chevrolet SUV driven by a 40-year-old male Mexican citizen attempting to flee the United States for Mexico.
