U.S. citizen attempted to smuggle 19 cocaine-filled bundles from Mexico: CBP

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Cocaine load seized by CBP officers (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

TEXAS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in El Paso seized more than 45 pounds of cocaine on May 27. The drugs were found as a vehicle was trying to cross from Mexico into Texas at the Bridge of Americas international crossing.

According to CBP, the drugs were hidden in a vehicle being driven by a 20-year-old female U.S. citizen.

19 cocaine-filled bundles

What we know:

According to CBP officials, just before 8 a.m. a 2016 Hyundai Elantra with a single female occupant arrived from Mexico. An officer working at the primary inspection booth selected her vehicle for a second inspection.

A CBP drug-sniffing dog searched the car and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. 

CBP officers found several wrapped bundles in the vehicle’s rocker panels. An x-ray scan of the car confirmed the presence of anomalies in the left and right rocker panels. 

CBP officers continued their exam and removed 19 cocaine-filled bundles from the hidden compartments. 

CBP officers arrested the woman. She was turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s office to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt.

What we don't know:

CBP officials did not say if the woman was from Texas, or where her final destination was going to be.

What they're saying:

"Every day, our dedicated CBP workforce stands guard protecting our community from any and all threats," said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. "Our homeland security mission is never ending and every drug load that we prevent from reaching its intended destination makes a difference."