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Customs officials in Texas seize 73 pounds of narcotics including fentanyl, meth

EL PASO, Texas — Customs agents in the El Paso area had a busy week at the Texas-Mexico border late last month.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at El Paso area ports of entry seized approximately 73 pounds of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine during five different days, according to a news release.

Agents working at the Paso Del Norte border crossing on July 25 intercepted 14.77 pounds of cocaine from a 36-year-old Mexican woman, the CBP said. Officers found cocaine-filled bundles inside the woman’s vehicle.

The next day, Paso Del Norte agents seized 16.97 pounds of methamphetamine carried across the border by a 32-year-old man, the release stated. Agents were tipped off when a canine alerted them to a dolly that contained the meth that the U.S. citizen attempted to bring into the country. Agents later intercepted nearly a half-pound of fentanyl from another 32-year-old U.S. citizen. The discovery was made after agents conducted a pat-down search on the man and discovered two bags with pills.

On July 27, CBP officers working at the Ysleta border crossing intercepted 0.24 pounds of fentanyl from a 21-year-old female U.S. citizen, the agency said. The woman crossed the border by a pedestrian bridge, and a CBP canine alerted agents. The woman admitted to carrying the narcotics across the border.

Agents working at the Bridge of the Americas on July 28 seized 1.06 pounds of methamphetamine from a female U.S. citizen after a pat-down search. Later, CBP officers at the Ysleta border crossing seized 9.83 pounds of fentanyl and 12.87 pounds of cocaine from a 19-year-old man. Moments later, agents recovered 6.08 pounds of cocaine from a woman who attempted to conceal the drugs inside her vehicle.

Another canine alert on July 30 allowed officers at the Paso Del Norte border to confiscate 11.28 pounds of methamphetamine from a 24-year-old female U.S. citizen.

In total, agents confiscated 73.58 pounds of drugs.

“CBP officers are dedicated to protecting our borders and stopping the flow of dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities,” Hector A. Mancha, the CBP’s director of field operations in El Paso, said in a statement. “These seizures are examples of the vigilance and commitment by our CBP officers to the border security mission.”

The subjects were all arrested and were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations or local authorities for prosecution.