Laredo, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Laredo port of sntry seized 11 pounds of cocaine on Monday, June 29, valued at $352,000.
The cocaine seizure occurred on Monday, June 29, at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge. A CBP officer referred a 2000 Ford Focus driven by Jesus Ruiz Rodriguez, a 58-year-old male Mexican citizen from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon for a secondary inspection. At secondary, CBP canine “Johnny” alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the vehicle.
CBP officers conducted an intensive examination of the vehicle and discovered a non factory compartment in the undercarriage located above the vehicle’s exhaust pipe. The non factory compartment contained five packages containing a total of 11 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $352,000.
CBP officers arrested Ruiz Rodriguez as well as, the passenger, Maria Elena Rodriguez Zapata, a 56-year-old female Mexican citizen from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who investigated the seizure and processed them on federal drug charges. CBP officers seized the narcotics and the vehicle.
“This seizure is an example of the determination that our officers have to intercept drugs in different type of concealment methods and prevent them from entering the United States,” said Gene Garza, CBP port director, Laredo.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
