Six tons of methamphetamine was confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers at the Camino Real International Bridge in Eagle Pass.
According to a media release published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the shipment of methamphetamine was found when a tractor-trailer supposedly carrying a shipment of a drying agent for piglets was referred for a secondary inspection.
The narcotics seized were valued at $117.1 million and reported as the largest amount confiscated in a single enforcement action, totaling 13,101 pounds.
“This gargantuan methamphetamine seizure, the largest ever taken down by CBP officers at a port of entry, uniquely illustrates the serious narcotics threat our officers face on a daily basis and their effectiveness at utilizing our technological enforcement tools, expertise, and experience to zero-in on these threats,” Director of Field Operations Donald Kusser said. “This seizure exemplifies our officers’ steadfast commitment to advancing CBP’s priority border security mission while facilitating lawful trade and travel.”
Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson, from Houston Homeland Security Investigations, praised authorities for preventing drugs from traveling further into Texas.
“For far too long, drug trafficking organizations have been raking in billions of dollars at the expense of our communities that are left ravaged by addiction, death, and despair as a result of these poisonous substances,” Dawson said. “Thanks to the outstanding teamwork between HSI Houston, HSI Eagle Pass, HSI Mexico City, and our partners at CBP, we have prevented a record-breaking amount of these narcotics from making it to Houston where they would have destroyed an untold number of lives.”
CBP has possession of the methamphetamine seized, with HSI currently investigating the matter.
Seizures of methamphetamine have skyrocketed since President Joe Biden took office. Only four months into fiscal year 2024, CBP has seized 44,000 pounds of meth. Under former President Donald Trump in the 2019 fiscal year, 68,585 pounds of meth were seized in total.
“President Joe Biden came in and wasted no time creating an open, accessible, and crime-ridden southern border,” Selene Rodriguez, a policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation wrote. “People from El Paso down to the Valley can see the increase in crime, drug and human trafficking, vehicle bailouts, and more.”