U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that officers working at the Ysleta Port of Entry in El Paso seized approximately 158 pounds of liquid methamphetamine last week.
“The primary CBP officer on duty was thorough and focused and was able to identify this pedestrian as a person who needed additional scrutiny,” said CBP Ysleta Port of Entry Director Arnie Gomez.
CBP officials say the seizure was made just after 7:00 p.m. on August 14, when the suspect – only described as an 18-year-old male U.S. citizen – walked over the bridge from Mexico.
While the young man declared three cases of bottled water, CBP officers selected the young man for a secondary exam.
“A drug-sniffing dog alerted to the presence of narcotics,” CBP officials said. “An X-ray scan of the bottled water, conducted by a CBP Agriculture Specialist, revealed dense liquid. The liquid tested positive for methamphetamine.”
CBP officers arrested the teen, who was then turned over to Homeland Security Investigations agents to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt.
