U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Progreso, Texas, seized nearly $4 million in narcotics during a Thanksgiving Day drug bust.
CBP officers discovered $3,752,240 worth of narcotics stowed away in a tractor trailer, according to a Nov. 30 media release from CBP.
The truck with an empty trailer attempting to cross the Progreso International Bridge was referred to secondary examination, the media release continues. Upon further investigation, drug-sniffing canines and non-intrusive imaging technology discovered 16 packages of heroin and 163 packages of cocaine.
???? THANKSGIVING DAY SEIZURE ????
Smugglers weren’t taking the holiday off on Thursday, as CBP officers intercepted $3.7 MILLION in heroin and cocaine in a single trailer at the Progreso (TX) Port of Entry.
Details via @CBPSouthTexas: https://t.co/aOdPV3lbzQ pic.twitter.com/zheYgwvYee
— CBP (@CBP) December 1, 2020
The media release says the 16 packages of heroin weighed 36 pounds, and the 163 packages of cocaine weighed in at 381 pounds.
Progreso Port Director Waler Weaver said, “CBP continues to analyze smuggling methods and utilize intelligence, experience and technology to keep our border communities safe and secure.” “This is a substantial amount of narcotics that will not make it into our communities,” he added in the media release.
The Progreso Thanksgiving drug bust comes on the heels of two major narcotics busts at the Laredo Port of Entry days prior, a CBP media release claims. Seven packages of methamphetamine weighing just over 225 pounds with a dollar value of $4,523,839 were found using the same investigative means in a stake bed truck on Nov. 23. (RELATED: DC Detective Dead In Alleged Murder-Suicide Committed By His Wife)
Big double play: #CBP officers seize $6.5M in methamphetamine, cocaine in separate seizures in the cargo environment at #Laredo’s World Trade Bridge. Read more here: https://t.co/R5XS61Nbpb pic.twitter.com/X8KXPyHUTt
— CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) November 30, 2020
Over 100 packages of cocaine weighing 256.61 pounds were then found on Nov. 25 in another truck attempting to enter the United States in Laredo, according to the same CBP media release. The CPB estimates the cocaine found by officers and their canine companions on Nov. 25 to be worth $1,978,800.
Drug and alcohol related deaths often peak around the holiday season in December and January according to the Center for Disease Control, American Addiction Center’s drugabuse.com reported. CDC data shows 91,000 Americans have died due to such overdoses in the month of December since 1999, drugabuse.com added.