28 Oct 46 pounds of alleged cocaine intercepted at Brownsville’s Veterans International Bridge

Federal officers seized about 46 pounds of alleged cocaine from a commercial truck at the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville last week, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officers working the bridge’s commercial import lot on Oct. 21 sent a 2005 International and its flatbed trailer to secondary inspection after a non-intrusive inspection scan flagged anomalies, CBP said. The driver is a 39-year-old Mexican citizen who lives in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

With help from a canine team, officers found 20 packages hidden in the vehicle holding 45.81 pounds of alleged cocaine, CBP said. The agency put the estimated street value at $611,680.

CBP seized the drugs and the vehicles, and Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested the driver and opened criminal investigations. The agency did not name the driver or say what charges he faces.

Brownsville Port Director Tater Ortiz said in the announcement, issued Tuesday, that the seizure reflects officers’ continued work to stop dangerous narcotics and disrupt criminal networks.

The Veterans International Bridge is one of three crossings between Brownsville and Matamoros owned and operated by Cameron County.