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http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/060608mcallen.htm

June 8, 2006

ICE Agents Seize Cocaine Worth $4.3 Million Hidden In Tractor-trailer Cab
Second significant seizure in the area this week

MCALLEN, Texas — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents seized 153.6 kilograms of cocaine stashed inside the sleeper compartment of a semi truck cab.

Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer rig Tuesday on highway 281. Shortly after the stop, the driver granted consent for a search. The rig was taken to the Hidalgo Port of Entry, where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers checked it using the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS). CBP uses VACIS to identify concealed narcotics and illegal immigrants.

Results from the check indicated an abnormal area in the floor of the sleeper section of the cab, and a subsequent search revealed a compartment containing 140 bundles of cocaine with an estimated street value of $4.3 million. The cocaine and tractor-trailer were turned over McAllen ICE agents for further investigation.

ICE agents also seized more than 4,350 pounds of marijuana and more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine at a Falcon Dam residence on Monday. The drugs are valued at over $36 million.

“These are significant seizures,” said Alonzo Pena, special agent-in-charge for the ICE office in San Antonio. “They demonstrate ICE’s commitment to identify and close vulnerabilities in our nation’s borders. We will not stand by as criminal organizations attempt to poison the United States with illicit drugs.”

ICE encourages the reporting of suspicious criminal activity related to drugs or the smuggling of illegal aliens to call its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. Investigators staff this hotline around the clock.

-- ICE --