Del Rio Officers Seize $2.2 Million in Drugs Hidden in SUV

CBP officers at the Del Rio International Bridge intercepted $2,279,351 worth of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl on March 10, seizing the drugs and the 2016 GMC Yukon used to conceal them after a routine referral to secondary inspection unraveled what Port Director Lilliana Flores called a "triple threat" narcotics load.

The stop began when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officer flagged the Yukon for secondary screening. A K-9 unit and a nonintrusive inspection system scan then located packages hidden inside the vehicle containing 117.33 pounds of suspected cocaine, 23.14 pounds of suspected heroin and 11.5 pounds of suspected fentanyl. The driver, a 32-year-old female U.S. citizen, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations special agents, who are now leading the investigation.

The combined street value of the three narcotics, $2,279,351, places the seizure among the more significant single-vehicle interceptions at the Del Rio crossing. Fentanyl, the lightest load by weight at 11.5 pounds, carries an outsized public health threat: the synthetic opioid is lethal in microgram quantities and has driven overdose deaths across Texas and the broader United States in recent years.

"This triple threat seizure of three powerful hard narcotics reflects the firm resolve of our officers and their tireless dedication to our border security mission," Flores said in a statement. "This load will not reach American streets and will not inflect pain and death on our communities."

CBP seized both the narcotics and the vehicle. No charges have been publicly announced, and HSI has not released the driver's identity. The investigation remains active.