EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A U.S. woman allegedly hid fentanyl inside a torta and tried to smuggle it across the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
The bust happened on March 23 at the Paso Del Nort Bridge in Downtown El Paso.
CBP said the 27-year-old U.S. citizen hid a bundle with .03 pounds of fentanyl in a torta, a Mexican-style sandwich with steak, ham and avocado. CBP called it a hamburger in a news release.
The discovery was one of several at ports of entry in the past two weeks in the El Paso Sector that resulted in the seizure of 25 pounds of fentanyl, 62 pounds of meth, 159 pounds of marijuana and just under $163,000 in undeclared cash.
“These seizures and arrests are a perfect example of the hard work that our CBP officers are doing on a daily basis,” said El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “We all have a professional and personal stake in working hard to keep our communities safe.”
Other drug busts in the El Paso Sector
- March 26: CBP officers working at the Bridge of the Americas found 25.08 pounds of fentanyl in the rear doors of a vehicle carrying a 25-year-old Mexican man and a 22-year-old Mexican woman.
- March 26: CBP officers working at the Paso Del Norte Bridge found 158.64 pounds of marijuana during a routine inspection of the trunk area of the vehicle.
- March 21: CBP officers at the Presidio border crossing found 61.28 pounds of methamphetamine in a vehicle drive by a from a 34-year-old Mexican man. During a secondary inspection. officers found aluminum foiled wrapped packages in the gas tank area.
- March 21: CBP officers at the Paso Del Norte Bridge seized $78,385 from a 58-year-old man, a U.S. citizen, He allegedly tried to take the money across the border for other people.
- March 18: CBP officers at the Ysleta Port of Entry found 0.19 pounds of fentanyl hidden within the body of a 32-year-old woman, also a U.S. citizen. CBP said they found a bundle of fentanyl wrapped in black tape inside the female’s purse, and furing the booking process at a detention facility, a body X-ray scan revealed a bundle in the womna’s vaginal cavity.
- March 14: CBP officers working at the Paso Del Norte Bridge found 0.90 pounds of methamphetamine in a bundle strapped to the leg of a 34-year-old man after a pat down search. He was a U.S citizen.
CBP said officers also arrested 44 individual wanted for crimes such as embezzlement, child sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, larceny, alien smuggling, dangerous drugs, and driving under the influence. All were turned over to federal/state authorities for prosecution.
