Border Patrol Officers Confiscate $587K Worth of Cocaine in 3 Texas Incidents

In Arizona, 2 Men Sentenced for Trafficking in Drugs Worth Over $1.3 Million

Coast Guardsmen stand over pallets containing more than 26 tons of cocaine worth at least $715 million on the flight deck of of 418-foot Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized cocaine valued at an estimated $587,000 while conducting three separate enforcement actions at the Brownsville Port of Entry in Texas.

The first incident took place on March 17 at Veterans International Bridge, where border protection officers stopped a 25-year-old Harlington, Texas, man as he was attempting to enter the United States in a 2010 Chevrolet.

CPB officers who searched the vehicle allegedly discovered 10 packages that contained more than 26 pounds of suspected cocaine.

On March 19, a 22-year-old Brownsville woman driving a 2012 Nissan applied for entry into the United States. At the Gateway International Bridge, a search of her vehicle allegedly uncovered almost 27 pounds of cocaine in multiple packages.

A third confiscation was made on March 22 at Gateway International Bridge, when a 23-year-old woman driving a 2013 Chevrolet applied for entry. With the aid of a canine unit, CPB officers allegedly discovered 10 packages hidden inside the vehicle that contained almost 23 pounds of suspected cocaine. 

The woman, who resides in Matamoros, Mexico, is a U.S. citizen, CBP said.

The total combined street value of the seized drugs was $587,140, CPB said in a statement.

Packages containing 26 pounds of cocaine were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas, during one of three separate drug seizures in March. (CBP photo)

“Our officers continue to intercept narcotics which is an important part of keeping our borders secure,” said Brownsville Port Director Tater Ortiz. “These significant drug seizures also keep the dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.”

All three suspects were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further investigation.

In a separate and unrelated action, two Tucson, Arizona, men were sentenced for their involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Arizona.

On March 16, a Pima County Court judge sentenced Cipriano Arturo Rojas-Armenta, 44, to three years in state prison. He pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit possession of dangerous drugs for sale (methamphetamine) and possession of a narcotic drug (cocaine) for sale in an amount over the statutory threshold.

Both charges are class 2 felonies.

Colombia's coca cultivation and potential pure cocaine production chart (DEA)

On Dec. 16, 2021, Diego Bernal-Robles, 29, was sentenced to five years in state prison, after he pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a dangerous drug (methamphetamine) for sale and the manufacture of methamphetamine, a class 2 felony.

Both convictions were the result of an investigation that ended on Sept. 22, 2020, when police officers executed a search warrant at the defendants’ address in Tucson. 

During the search, police recovered 230 pounds of methamphetamine, 25 pounds of cocaine, and 25 pounds of heroin, along with equipment and chemicals used in manufacturing meth.

The estimated street value of the drugs is more than $1.3 million, according to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.