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CBP Arrests 75-Year-Old at Laredo After Discovery of About $455K in Alleged Cocaine and Ketamine

Homeland Security Investigations has taken custody of the case after canine teams and non-intrusive imaging uncovered concealed packages in the vehicle.

Overview

  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers referred a 2011 Volvo XC60 to a secondary inspection at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge where they found 14 hidden packages containing alleged narcotics.
  • CBP reported the packages held about 32.84 pounds of suspected cocaine and 288.1 grams of suspected ketamine with a combined street-value estimate near $455,882.
  • The driver, identified only as a 75-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations special agents and the vehicle and drugs were seized.
  • Detection relied on standard port tools: a canine unit and a non-intrusive imaging system that flagged the vehicle for the more thorough secondary search.
  • Lab confirmation of the substances and any formal charges have not been reported yet, and HSI is actively investigating possible prosecution and asset forfeiture outcomes.