November 20, 2008
Fort Hancock, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers performing anti-terrorism inspections at the Fort Hancock, Texas port of entry seized 125 pounds of marijuana late Tuesday morning. Three people were arrested in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.
The seizure was made just before noon Tuesday when a 1999 Chrysler Sebring entered the port from Mexico. A
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CBP officer at the primary inspection booth detected anomalies during the search of the vehicle. The CBP officer also noticed that the driver was nervous during a routine interview.
CBP officers continued their exam and discovered a bundle concealed in the quarter panel of the car. The inspection continued and CBP officers removed a total of 120 marijuana-filled bundles from the quarter panels and floor of the car. Federal prosecution was accepted for three adults in the car. A young child traveling with the trio was released to the custody of a relative.
ICE special agents arrested the driver of the car, 24-year-old Alfredo Alba Rodriguez. They also arrested two passengers including 34-year-old Claudia Santillan Espinoza and 29-year-old Erika Sigala Escobedo. All three are from Praxedis, Chihuahua, Mexico.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
