CBP Officers at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico Port of Entry Make Large Marijuana Bust

El Paso, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry made a marijuana seizure Monday where the drugs were found concealed in a false bed of a pick-up.“CBP officers and the use of high-tech tools greatly contributed to this significant seizure and the arrest of the driver,” said Grace Gomez, acting port director for CBP in Santa Teresa. While smugglers are only limited by their imagination, they are often thwarted by the hard work and diligence of the CBP workforce.”The seizure was made at 9:15 a.m. when a 37-year-old man of Ciudad, Juarez Mexico driving a 1991 Ford F-150 arrived from Mexico and told officers he had nothing to declare, that he was going to make some purchases in the US. CBP officers selected the vehicle for a gamma-ray exam and identified several anomalies in the appearance of the area of the bed. The truck was taken to a separate inspection area where an extensive inspection of the bed was conducted and discovered to have a non-factory compartment. CBP officers removed a total of 290 bundles. The contents of the bundles tested positive for marijuana with an approximate weight of 311.96 pounds.CBP officers arrested the driver and then turned him over to the Las Cruces, New Mexico Narcotic Task Force agents.CBP Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.