Overview
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 9,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized across several Texas ports in June, with agencies valuing the loads at over $80 million.
- One inspection at Laredo’s World Trade Bridge uncovered a single shipment containing more than 7,000 pounds of methamphetamine, and separate tractor-trailer seizures in Pharr and Laredo added multiple thousand-pound loads.
- Agents at the Pharr International Bridge found 112 packages of cocaine concealed in a cucumber shipment that weighed about 279 pounds and was assigned a street value of roughly $3.7 million.
- CBP credited routine use of canine teams and non-intrusive imaging systems for detecting anomalies in commercial vehicles, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations has opened criminal probes with charges expected against drivers.
- Officials say a sustained drop in southwest border encounters since late 2024 has allowed CBP and Border Patrol to shift capacity toward targeted counter‑drug work at ports, while traffickers continue to hide narcotics in legitimate cargo that drives risk for supply chains and border communities.