‘Back to back’ seizures net $1.4M in drugs, weapons at South Texas ports of entry

McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized over $1.4 million worth of cocaine and 1,000 rounds of ammunition and weapons in three separate incidents in three days at South Texas ports of entry, officials said Tuesday.

On Friday, officers at the bridge sent an SUV coming from Reynosa, Mexico, at the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge to a secondary inspection where non-intrusive inspection equipment and a canine team helped to spot 12 packages of cocaine weighing nearly 28 pounds within the vehicle. The drugs have a street value over $370,000, CBP says .

A few hours later at the nearby Anzalduas International Bridge, in Mission, Texas, officers sent a pickup for inspection where they reported finding four handguns, 1,070 rounds of ammunition, six weapon magazines for numerous rifles, and 21 weapon components that had been headed south into Mexico, CBP says.

On Sunday, officers at the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge found 30 packages of cocaine weighing over 77 pounds concealed within an SUV heading north from Mexico into Hidalgo, Texas. The cocaine has a street value over $1.03 million, officials said.

"Our CBP officers don't skip a beat when it comes to keeping our country safe. These back-to-back interceptions of weapons, ammunition, and narcotics illustrate the tireless work being done at our port(s) of entry," Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry Director Carlos Rodriguez said.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at