PHARR, Texas — A pair of recent seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers netted cocaine and fentanyl with an estimated street value of more than $1.2 million at the Pharr International Bridge Cargo Facility.
The incidents occurred several hours apart on Friday, beginning with the inspection of a commercial tractor trailer arriving from Mexico, the agency stated in a news release.
Officers discovered 35 packages of suspected cocaine, weighing nearly 88 pounds, and one package of suspected fentanyl, weighing nearly three pounds concealed within the tractor. Meanwhile, inspection of a second tractor trailer arriving from Mexico yielded 39 packages of suspected cocaine, weighing about 67 pounds, concealed within the tractor, the CBP stated.
“CBP officers intercepted these loads of cocaine and fentanyl thanks to great teamwork and the utilization of all available tools and resources,” Carlos Rodriguez, director of the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry, stated.
“It is important to remember how lethal fentanyl is, and our officers exercise extreme care and utilize personal protective equipment when they encounter any load of narcotics for that reason,” Rodriguez added.
CBP officers seized both vehicles and the narcotics, and the cases have been turned over to agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the agency stated.
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