U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers conducting inspections at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad crossing just west of the Paso Del Norte port of entry in El Paso intercepted 195 pounds of marijuana and five pounds of cocaine inside of a hopper car.
The seizure occurred on Dec. 7 when CBP officers along with a CBP canine were conducting inspections on a train making entry into the U.S. from Mexico. The CBP canine alerted to an odor emitting from one of the hopper cars leading CBP officers to locate several bundles concealed within. A thorough search resulted in the discovery of 70 marijuana filled bundles and two cocaine filled bundles.
“All rail shipments entering the U.S. from Mexico are subject to several layers of enforcement,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. “Each car is scanned by an x-ray system while CBP officers and CBP canine teams at the rail crossing inspect the train as it arrives.”
The narcotics were seized by CBP. No arrests were immediately made. The case remains under investigation.
The seizure marks the second time in one month that CBP officers in El Paso have found large quantities of drugs in a rail car arriving from Mexico. On Nov. 9 CBP officers intercepted 215 pounds of methamphetamine from a train using the same crossing point.
