U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found meth on a woman and her baby as they tried to cross back into America from the Mexican border.
The agents at the Brownsville, Texas, entry point found a 19-year-old woman trying to smuggle over seven pounds of meth — more than $141,000 worth — under her clothes and the clothes of her child, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported Monday.
“It is unfortunate that someone would allegedly use their child to attempt to smuggle dangerous narcotics into the country,” Brownsville Port director Petra Horne said. “This important seizure was due to the keen observation of our officers.”
The seizure took place after the unnamed female applied for entry via the pedestrian lane of the Brownsville point of entry and was subsequently referred to border patrol agents for further investigation. Upon searching, agents found four taped packages of meth under the woman’s clothing, and found an additional two packages under her infant’s clothing as well. The total value of the seized meth is put at $141,976.
Agents also arrested a 19-year-old male who was with her and turned the case over to Homeland Security Investigations special agents.
The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that a staggering 80 percent of meth in the U.S. originates in Mexico. A drug enforcement official says a pound of meth used to cost $30,000, but Mexican-made meth that is flooding the U.S. only costs $8,000 to $10,000 a pound. The meth made by the Mexican drug cartels is of a much higher quality.
“You can’t compete with that they have and (with) their prices,” spokesman with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration Matt Barden told the Arizona Republic in 2015.
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