see also: in April 2002:   Congressmen Honor U.S. Customs Employees   U.S. Customs Inspectors in Hidalgo Seize $390,000 in Methamphetamine   U.S. Customs Inspectors in Laredo Arrest Iraqi Fugitive Wanted by FBI in Michigan   Customs Kids Join Parents on the Job as Part of "Bring Your Child To Work Day" Event   U.S. Customs Service Patrol Officers Seize 1,678 Pounds of Marijuana on Monday   Maryland Woman Arrested for Transporting Over 30,000 Pills ...more

contacts for this news release

Del Rio, Texas - U.S. Customs inspectors at the Del Rio Port of Entry last night seized $41 million in cocaine, the largest cocaine load (nearly 2,600 pounds) of Fiscal Year 2002 thus far on the U.S.-Mexico border. Inspectors also seized two marijuana loads.

Ralph Sinclair, U.S. Customs Port Director, Del Rio, and David Wharton, U.S. Customs Office of Investigations, Resident Agent in Charge, Del Rio, released the following information on Wednesday:

At approximately 7:43 p.m. on Wednesday, a truck tractor pulling an otherwise empty box-type trailer arrived at the truck primary inspection booth at the Del Rio Port of Entry. The rig was one of several trucks that arrived at the booth within a few minutes of each other and all were referred for a non-intrusive imaging system scan. The Customs inspector operating the imaging system detected an anomaly in the roof of the trailer, drilled the trailer roof and extracted a white substance on the drill bit. A Customs narcotics detector dog, "Hunter," swept the trailer and alerted to the drug cache. The substance tested positive for cocaine. Inspectors removed and seized 1,175.30 kilograms (2,591.53 pounds) of cocaine that had been concealed in stainless steel boxes in the roof. U.S. Customs special agents from the Customs Office of Investigations arrived on the scene and interviewed the driver and the truck owner. Both individuals were released. The investigation is continuing in this case. Officers placed a tentative street value of $41.4 million on the cocaine. The street value of cocaine varies by availability, purity and distribution points. Cocaine sells for about $1,000 an ounce on the streets of major Texas cities. The tractor-trailer also was seized.

Earlier on Wednesday, at approximately 2:55 p.m., a 1992 Ford Explorer occupied by two women from San Antonio arrived at a primary inspection lane at the port of entry and the vehicle was referred to Customs secondary by an alert INS inspector. Customs inspectors utilized a fiber-optic scope to detect packages concealed in the vehicle's fuel tank. Customs canine "Hollywood" also inspected the vehicle and alerted. A trap door under the back seat provided access to the fuel tank and officers removed 43 packages of marijuana weighing 75.95 pounds from the tank. Officers seized the marijuana and the vehicle. The marijuana was valued at $76,000. The driver Rainie Moreno, a 31-year-old resident of San Antonio, and Monica Morales, 26, who is also a resident of San Antonio, were arrested.

A short time later, two males arrived at the port from Mexico and they were linked to the case after alert Customs inspectors detained them and referred them to the Customs special agents who interviewed them and subsequently arrested them as co-conspirators in the case. Steven Garza, 30, and George Garcia, 21, were both San Antonio residents. All four individuals were lodged in the Val Verde County Detention Center and they were scheduled to make initial appearances before a United States Magistrate on Thursday.

In another case at approximately 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, a Cuidad Acuña resident, Raymundo Navarro-Delarosa arrived at a primary inspection lane manned by a Customs inspector who utilized a Buster (density reader) to detect irregularities in the backseat of the 1991 Chevrolet. The vehicle was referred to Customs secondary, where Customs narcotics detector dog "Hunter" alerted when he searched the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the vehicle x-ray machine and the scan indicated anomalies in the same area. A subsequent inspection revealed 39.20 pounds of marijuana valued at $39,200 concealed in the back seat backrest and in the trunk. Navarro was arrested and lodged in the Val Verde County Detention Center. He was scheduled to make an initial appearance before a United States Magistrate on Thursday.