Presidio, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Presidio port of entry seized 567 pounds of marijuana Tuesday. The drugs were concealed in a shipment of used farm tractors.
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CBP officers discovered the drug load just after 3 p.m. when a 1995 Freightliner semi-tractor hauling a flatbed trailer loaded with six used farm tractors entered the port from Mexico. CBP officers initiated an intensive exam of the shipment after noting anomalies in the appearance of the tractors. CBP officers x-rayed the shipment and spotted something suspicious in the tires of the tractors. CBP officers drilled a tire and removed a green substance that tested positive for marijuana. CBP officers continued their exam and removed a total of 254 marijuana-filled bundles that were hidden in the tractor tires. No arrests were made and the investigation is continuing.
“The tenacity of our officers and the technology that we can use all played a role in this seizure,” said John Prewit, CBP Presidio port director. “The various layers of enforcement that CBP employs help identity and stop contraband from entering the U.S.”
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.
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.
