EL PASO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso have arrested five women (including one who’s pregnant) trying to smuggle fentanyl concealed internally on their bodies during the past two weeks.
February 24 fentanyl seizure (credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
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“It is tragic that people are willing to put themselves in these dangerous situations,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “This synthetic opioid is so powerful that if a package were to rupture inside the body, the consequences could be life threatening.”
On Feb 24, officers working at the Port of Ysleta, intercepted a 31-year-old U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle .394 pounds of fentanyl. A drug sniffing dog alerted to the presence of narcotics leading to a pat down search where officers felt a foreign object in her groin area. She then voluntarily removed a bundle from her vagina.
Four days later, officers working at the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing intercepted a 42-year-old female, U.S. citizen, who attempted to smuggle .293 pounds of fentanyl. Once again, a drug sniffing dog presented a positive alert for narcotics leading the suspect to admit that she was carrying drugs. The woman then removed a bundle from her vagina.
On March 2, officers stopped three fentanyl body carriers on separate unrelated incidents. At the Bridge of the Americas Border Crossing, they encountered a 19-year-old U.S. citizen attempting to smuggle 0.26 pounds of fentanyl. During a secondary search, she voluntarily removed a condom wrapped bundle from her vaginal cavity. The suspect was two months pregnant.
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Later that day, officers arrested a 39-year-old female U.S. citizen attempting to smuggle 0.17 pounds of fentanyl concealed in her rectum. She admitted to officers that she was carrying drugs and voluntarily extracted the bundle. At the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing, officers encountered a 27-year-old U.S. citizen who was discovered to have a bag filled with 4.1 grams of fentanyl concealed in her bra.
