(RepublicanView.org) – A dog working with the Border Patrol led agents to investigate a pickup truck carrying over 350 lbs. of methamphetamine across the US-Mexican border on November 18.
The seizure occurred at Paso Del Norte, a popular crossing point between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Border Patrol agents had recently set up an operation in the area to screen vehicles crossing the border near the inspection booths.
Agents ordered the 31-year-old female driver to pull the Dodge Ram truck through the Z portal X-Ray machine. It returned suspicious results that prompted a physical sweep of the vehicle.
During the inspection, agents discovered hundreds of bounds of materials bundled in aluminum foil. The driver was arrested after testing confirmed the materials were methamphetamine. She was transferred to the custody of the Texas Department of Public Safety, who will continue with the woman’s case. The details of her charges have not yet been released.
Drug smuggling has increased significantly over the past couple of years at the US Mexican border. Last year, Anne Milgram, the DEA Administrator, said that fentanyl smuggled from Mexico was killing Americans at rates they’ve “never seen before,” according to CBS News.
In 2021, over 802 lbs. of meth was confiscated in the El Paso Sector alone. There is no word yet on how much escaped capture. Officials reported a 133% increase in seizures. It was enough to net nearly $8 million on the black market.
The massive increase in drug smuggling comes as debate has surged over how to handle immigration at the Southern Border. According to Customs and Border Protection, Southwest Land Border Encounters increased in fiscal year 2023 compared to the previous year, hitting a total of 2,475,669 encounters.
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