CBP officers at Presidio port make 3 drug busts Thursday

PRESIDIO – United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Presidio port of entry made three drug seizures Thursday, July 12.

The seizures netted 208 pounds of marijuana and three arrests.

“CBP officers at the Presidio port are conducting thorough and comprehensive inspections and this is the result of their vigilance,” said Ruben Jauregui, acting CBP Presidio Port Director. “It has been several years since we last had a three drug seizure day at the Presidio crossing so this is a significant event.”

Largest seizure of the day, 121.4 pounds found in the bed of the Chevrolet Silverado.

The largest seizure of the day was made at about 8am when a Chevrolet Silverado entered the facility from Mexico. CBP officers searched the vehicle using a “Buster” density meter and received high readings consistent with hidden contraband. They drilled the bed of the pickup and retrieved a green leafy substance. CBP officers then x-rayed the vehicle and noted anomalies in the bed of the truck. CBP officers dismantled the bed and recovered 28 marijuana-filled bundles weighing 121.4 pounds.

CBP officers took custody of the driver, 36-year-old Samuel Shane Morris of Old Hickory, Tennessee. He was turned over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents and arrested on federal charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.

The next seizure was made at about 8:40pm when a Chevrolet Cavalier entered the facility from Mexico. CBP officers searched the vehicle and noted a number of anomalies. They used a fiber optic scope to examine the fuel tank and spotted bundles inside the gas tank. They scanned the vehicle with an x-ray unit and spotted anomalies. CBP drug sniffing dog “Izmir” searched the vehicle and alerted to the fuel tank. CBP officers removed 38 marijuana-filled bundles from the fuel tank weighing 39.8 pounds.

Fuel tank of the Chevrolet Cavalier held 39.8 pounds of marijuana

CBP officers took custody of the driver, 22-year-old Veronica Gomez of Presidio, Texas. She was turned over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents and arrested on federal charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.

The last seizure of the day was made at about 8:45pm when a Dodge Neon entered the facility from Mexico. CBP officers used a fiber optic scope to examine the fuel tank and spotted discrepancies in the appearance of the fuel tank. CBP drug sniffing dog “Izmir” searched the vehicle and alerted to the fuel tank. CBP officer x-rayed the vehicle and spotted anomalies. CBP officers removed 45 marijuana-filled bundles weighing 46.8 pounds from the fuel tank.

The 46.8 pounds of marijuana found in the fuel tank of the Dodge Neon.

CBP officers took custody of the driver, 21-year-old Claudia Fabiola Juarez Hernandez of Ojinaga, Mexico. She was turned over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents and arrested on federal charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.

“We often talk about the layers of enforcement we employ at the port of entry and these seizures certainly demonstrate that concept,” said Jauregui. “We employed officer expertise, high technology, and canine assets to make these busts.”