CBP officers stop eight separate cocaine smuggling attempts over two days
SAN DIEGO (KYMA, KECY) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry stopped eight separate cocaine smuggling attempts, preventing more than 240 pounds of cocaine from crossing the border, over the course of two days.
In a press release, the first three smuggling attempts happened on March 4, with the first one happening at around 2:00 p.m. when officers came across a 31-year old man, who is a border crossing card holder, driving a commercial tractor-trailer.
CBP says the driver and tractor-trailer "were referred to secondary inspection when a CBP K-9 unit screened and alerted to a non-factory compartment in the cabin floor."
From there, CBP says officers found and seized 18 packages, which tested positive for cocaine, weighing at least 47 pounds.
The next incident happened a hour later when another "empty commercial tractor-trailer," driven by a 39-year-old man with a vaild border crossing card, "applied for entry into the United States from Mexico," according to CBP.
Afterwards, CBP says officers "referred the driver and tractor-trailer for additional inspection," but at the inspection dock, the K-9 unit was alerted to "the discovery of a non-factory compartment in the cabin floor," when officers seized 24 packages of cocaine, weighing over 61 pounds.
The third incident happened after 3:10 p.m. when CBP says officers saw another tractor-trailer driven by a 52-year-old man, who is also a valid border crossing card holder, prompting them to direct the driver and tractor-trailer for further inspection with help from a K-9 unit.
During inspection, officers found a non-factory compartment beneath the cabin floor, which contained 25 packages of cocaine, weighing over 63 pounds.
CBP says officers stopped five additional cocaine smuggling attempts on March 5, between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The first of the five smuggling attempts happened at around 3:00 p.m. when two separate commercial tractor-trailers, driven by two men who are border crossing card holders, "were referred for secondary inspection following a cursory search," CBP says.
Using non-intrusive imaging technology to screen the tractor-trailers, CBP says officers found "anomolies in the passenge-side floors of both tractor-trailers," to which a K-9 unit alerted officers to the "presence of narcotics" and they found 12 packages of cocaine weighing at least 31 pounds.
The second incident happened at around 3:10 p.m., CBP says, when a 52-year-old man who applied for entry in an empty commercial tractor-trailer, but upon secondary inspection, the K-9 unit alerted officers to a non-factory compartment in the cabin floor, where they seized six packages of cocaine weighing over 15 pounds,
The third incident, according to CBP, happened at around 3:45 p.m. when officers saw a 43-year-old man, who is a B1/B2 via holder, driving a empty commercial tractor-trailer.
Upon secondary inspection, CBP says officer found seven packages of cocaine hidden in a non-factory compartment in the cabin floor, weighing at least 17 pounds.
CBP says the final seizure happened at around 4:30 p.m. when officers stopped a 38-year-old man, who is a B1 visa holder, operating an empty commercial tractor-trailer, but after secondary inspection and an alert from the K-9 unit, officers found six packages of cocaine hidden inside a non-factory compartment, weighing at least 17 pounds.
"These seizures are a testament to the exceptional training, skills, and dedication of our officers in their committment to safeguarding our borders and protecting the American public. Within just two days, their vigilance and expertise resulted in eight significant cocaine seizures. I am incredibly proud of their relentless efforts to prevent dangerous narcotics from entering our communities."
Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director, Area Port of Otay Mesa
CBP says the suspects were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) while the cocaine packages and commercial tractor-trailers were seized by CBP.
