Man caught with 34 pounds of cocaine at Anzalduas Port of Entry

The entrance to the Anzalduas International Bridge near Mission seen Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. (Joel Martinez | jmartinez@themonitor.com)

A Mexican national was arrested at the Anzalduas Port of Entry on Saturday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 13 packages containing cocaine hidden in his vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

Rodolfo Walter Ponce-Abson, who was born in 1993, was charged with attempting to smuggle 34 pounds of cocaine within his silver 2018 Honda CRV.

During the inbound inspection, Ponce told officers that he was traveling from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico to McAllen to do some shopping, but a computer-generated alert caused him to be referred for a further intensive examination, the complaint said.

It was during this examination conducted by a K-9 narcotics detection team that resulted in a positive alert for the odor of controlled substances emanating from the front bumper.

“A physical search of the vehicle revealed a total of [13] packages wrapped in cellophane and packing tape concealed within the front bumper of the vehicle,” the complaint said.

The combined weight of the packages was slightly over 34 pounds.

A field test of the substance inside the packages yielded a presumptive positive result for the properties and characteristics of cocaine, according to the complaint.

Officers also noticed that the screws holding the front license plate to the front bumper had been tampered with.

Crossing history of the vehicle showed that Ponce had crossed into the United States five times between June 27 and August 17 of this year with three different license plates.

Ponce claimed that the first two license plates were taken off by heavy rain flooding, but a physical examination of the vehicle conducted by the officers showed the vehicle hadn’t sustained any water damage.

Officers also found Ponce to be carrying two cellphones, one of which had a WhatsApp text conversation with a Mexican phone number listed under “Franco (Primo).”

In the cellphones, authorities also found photos or large amounts of U.S. and Mexican currency and suspected narcotics.

“Some of these photos coincided with Ponce’s crossing history dates,” the complaint said.

Authorities also found a Facebook Messenger conversation dated Aug. 2 where one user stated to Ponce something in Spanish that loosely translates to “You are a boss, send me crap here to Cancun. But free and I will send you the cake for free…”

The user then sent a screenshot of Ponce of a web search titled “pastel de cocaina,” which translates to “cocaine cake,” according to the complaint.

Then, in a different WhatsApp conversation, authorities found a video and numerous photos of firearms and a photo individually listed firearms and prices that was sent to Ponce after he inquired about a “menu.”

When asked about this discovery, Ponce stated he attempted to broker an illegal deal for the firearms in Mexico and added that he believed what he did in Mexico wouldn’t affect his situation at the moment, the complaint said.

Ponce is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano in McAllen federal court for his preliminary examination and detention hearing Thursday morning.

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