CBP seizes $3M worth of heroin, cocaine during holiday weekend

HIDALGO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized $3 million worth of drugs at two ports of entry over the holiday weekend.

The narcotics were seized in the upper Rio Grande Valley.

"Drug trafficking organizations don’t take holiday weekends off, and neither do we," said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez.

The first drug bust happened Saturday at the Hidalgo Port of Entry. A vehicle making entry from Mexico was selected for inspection which led to the discovery of heroin and cocaine hidden in the vehicle.

Officers seized 15.6 pounds of heroin and 9.1 pounds of cocaine.

The drugs are estimated to have a street value of $421,000.

The second drug bust happened the following day at the Pharr International Bridge.

A tractor-trailer making entry from Mexico was selected for inspection, leading officers to discover 80 packages of cocaine hidden inside a shipment of peppers.

The packages of cocaine weighed approximately 196.2 pounds with a value of $2,619,800, according to CBP.

"As these two significant narcotics interceptions aptly illustrate, CBP maintains its enforcement posture regardless of the time of year," Rodriguez continued.