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Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge discovered more than $243,000 in cocaine hidden within a Nissan Maxima; one U.S. citizen was arrested.

On Monday at 1:26 p.m., at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge, CBP officers referred a white 1999 Nissan Maxima driven by Jesus Alberto Lamas, a 27-year-old U.S. citizen and resident of Brownsville, Texas for a secondary inspection. An intensive examination of the Nissan Maxima by CBP officers revealed irregularities to the interior of the Nissan. “Brenda,” a narcotic detector dog, confirmed CBP officers' suspicions and alerted officers to the odor of narcotics emanating from the Nissan Maxima. CBP officers’ intensive inspection of the Nissan Maxima revealed three packages with a combined weight of nearly eight pounds of cocaine hidden within the dash area of the Nissan Maxima.

The cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of over $243,000. The driver was arrested by CBP officers and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents who investigated the seizure and processed the driver on federal drug charges.

“An incisive CBP officer detected abnormalities within the car attempting entry into the country and referred it for further inspection. At secondary, further examination resulted in the discovery of these highly dangerous narcotics from entering our communities. Extraordinary work by Brownsville’s CBP officers,” said Michael Freeman, CBP port director, Brownsville.

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.