see also: in January 2009:   CBP Officers Discover 957 Pounds of Marijuana in Concrete Pipes   CBP Canine Detects $600,000 Worth of Marijuana at Douglas Port   CBP Officers Seize $80,000 of Marijuana at Naco Port of Entry   Border Patrol Stops Vehicle, Leads to Meth Seizure   CBP Officers at Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge Seize Fake $20’s Found during Outbound Inspection   Border Patrol Agents Rescue Woman Injured in Car Accident   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Arrest Wanted Sex Offender ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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El Paso, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations officers working at the El Paso port of entry made five marijuana seizures Monday, confiscating 480 pounds of the drug.

The largest seizure of the day occurred just before 6 p.m., at the Bridge of the Americas commercial cargo facility. CBP officers seized 202 pounds of marijuana. The drugs were concealed in the bed of the sleeper cab of a commercial truck that had entered the facility from Mexico.

The seizure was made when a 2003 Volvo tractor pulling a flatbed trailer arrived at the inspection booth. A CBP officer at the inspection booth selected the vehicle for an intensive exam and directed the driver to gamma ray inspection system. A scan of the rig revealed an anomaly in the appearance of the cab of the tractor-trailer. CBP drug sniffing dog “Wizard” searched the conveyance and gave a positive alert for the presence of drugs. CBP officers continued their exam and discovered 181 marijuana-filled bundles hidden in the bed of the sleeper cab.

CBP officers arrested the driver of the vehicle. He is identified as 21-year-old Juan Cordero Valenciana of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents took custody of the subject and secured federal prosecution in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. He is currently being held without bond at the El Paso County jail.

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

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.