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FIRST ON FOX: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers busted a massive drug smuggling attempt in Texas, resulting in more than $1.1 million in cocaine being seized at the southern border.
Fox News Digital learned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted nearly 100 pounds of suspected cocaine in an empty commercial tractor-trailer. The trailer was stopped on April 15 while crossing into the U.S. from Reynosa, Mexico.
This comes as the Department of Homeland Security continues to report that Border Patrol agents have not released a single migrant into the U.S. interior for 11 consecutive months, pointing to what officials described as historically low levels of illegal crossings.
Acting CBP Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello remarked that, besides stopping the illegal crossings, an “effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience” is ensuring that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.”
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According to CBP, officers flagged the empty vehicle for secondary inspection using nonintrusive inspection equipment and screening from a canine team. A physical inspection led to the discovery of 32 packages of suspected cocaine with a combined weight of over 83 pounds, concealed within the trailer floor. The agency said the cocaine has an estimated street value of $1,111,503.
Officers seized the narcotics, tractor and trailer while special agents from Homeland Security Investigations initiated a criminal investigation into the seizure.
After the seizure, Vitiello said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital that “under the powerful leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin, our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience to zero-in on and interdict this significant cocaine load.”
Vitiello added that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.”
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Earlier this month, Mullin touted eleven straight months of “zero” releases at the border.
He said that “under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history,” adding, “The world knows America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”
DHS said that nationwide in March, CBP seized over 65,000 pounds of drugs, including 613 pounds of fentanyl.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott credited “America First policies, real consequences, and a unified federal effort—backed by personnel, infrastructure, and technology” for “how we’ve delivered the most secure border in U.S. history.”
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“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we’re building on what works, refining our approach, and locking in real border security,” he said, adding, “This isn’t temporary—it’s the new normal.”
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