see also: in January 2003:   U.S. Customs Inspectors Seize 166 Pounds of Marijuana and $180,000 Cash in Shipment of Live Bears   South Texas U.S. Customs Inspectors Seize $7.2 Million in Narcotics This Week   Agents seize 106 Pounds of Marijuana at Checkpoint (pdf - 21 KB.)   Border Patrol Agents Seize 221 Pounds of Marijuana (pdf - 22 KB.)   U.S. Customs Service Inspectors at El Paso Port Stop 11 Drug Shipments Wednesday; Seizures Also Made At Presidio, Santa Teresa and Columbus Ports   Enforcement of 24-Hour Rule Begins February 2   U.S. Customs Service Native American Trackers and Special Agents Seize 2,421 Pounds of Marijuana ...more

contacts for this news release

Pharr, TX - U.S. Customs Inspectors examining a purportedly empty suitcase early Sunday at Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge quickly discovered the luggage item's true cargo - nearly nine pounds of brown heroin.

Heroin seized from suitcase at Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.

The seizure occurred shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday. A U.S. Customs Inspector referred a 1995 Ford Ranger pickup driven by Felipe Barbosa-Torres, 44, of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, for a secondary examination. Inspectors noticed discrepancies in the weight of an empty green suitcase. Canine "Slugger" alerted his human enforcement partner to the odor of narcotics emanating from the suitcase. Upon further examination, Inspectors retrieved 20 packages containing nearly nine pounds of brown heroin from a false bottom in the suitcase. The street value of heroin varies from about $45,000 to $250,000 a pound by key factor such as purity, availability and distribution points. Street-level dealers often cut the heroin with adulterants, expanding the value even more.

Barbosa-Torres was arrested on federal charges of importation and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and transported to Hidalgo County Jail. He faces an initial appearance before a federal magistrate today.

U.S. Customs Hidalgo Port Director David Higgerson hailed the seizure. "Significant seizures of heroin (loads greater than a pound or two) are somewhat rare on the Southwest Border, but our Inspectors, keeping a vigilant eye on the returning holiday traffic have been successful at finding that needle in the haystack," Higgerson said.