U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officers seized more than $338,000 worth of cocaine at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo, Texas, after a 2015 Chrysler 200 was sent to secondary inspection on April 1. The car was driven by a 25-year-old U.S. citizen with a 24-year-old U.S. citizen passenger.
After a canine sweep and a nonintrusive inspection system exam, officers found 10 packages of suspected cocaine hidden inside the vehicle, CBP said. The narcotics weighed 25.37 pounds and carried a street value of $338,808.
CBP seized both the cocaine and the vehicle, and Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested the driver and passenger and opened a criminal investigation. Authorities did not immediately release the suspects’ identities, custody status or possible charges.
The seizure happened at a major U.S.-Mexico border crossing where officers routinely screen vehicles entering from Mexico, but the case now turns on what investigators can prove about the pair in the Chrysler 200. For now, the agency’s account is straightforward: the drugs were found, the car was taken, and two U.S. citizens were detained while the investigation moved forward.
