Feds seize 22.66 pounds of cocaine at the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a Mexican national driving a 1996 Volvo from smuggling 22.66 pounds of cocaine across the Veterans Memorial Bridge into Brownsville, Texas on Thursday.

A primary inspection raised suspicions and led to a secondary inspection that included the use of a canine unit and non-invasive search techniques that revealed 10 packages of cocaine.

"As our officers go about their routine duties, they remain vigilant, and their diligence paid off when they intercepted this significant load of narcotics," Brownsville Port of Entry director Tater Ortiz said in a news release announcing the drug bust.

The shipment has an estimated value of $302,602 and was hidden inside the vehicle.,

CBP officers also seized a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, two magazines and 10 rounds of ammunition along with the vehicle.

The unidentified driver is a 46-year-old resident of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and was arrested.

The eight-lane Veterans International Bridge is one of three international bridges that span the Mexico-United States border between Brownsville and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The bridge opened in 1999 and is the newest of the three bridges.