CBP stops multiple fentanyl ‘body carriers’

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – It was a busy and productive couple of weeks for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the El Paso area ports of entry, stopping several smugglers with fentanyl concealed internally.

Officials say the first bust took place on February 24, as CBP Officers working at the Port of Ysleta, intercepted a 31-year-old woman, U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle .394 pounds of fentanyl.

The female was sent to a secondary inspection, where a CBP drug-sniffing dog alerted to the presence of narcotics. A pat-down search by CBP Officers revealed a foreign object in the groin area. The female then voluntarily removed a bundle from her vaginal cavity.

On February 28, CBP Officers working at the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing stopped a 42-year-old female, U.S. citizen, who attempted to smuggle .293 pounds of fentanyl.

A CBP drug-sniffing dog alerted his partner to the drugs, leading the subject to admit that she was carrying drugs. The female voluntarily removed a bundle from her vaginal cavity.

Then on March 2, CBP Officers stopped three fentanyl body carriers on separate unrelated incidents.

At the Bridge of the Americas Border Crossing, CBP Officers encountered a 19-year-old woman U.S. citizen, attempting to smuggle 0.26 pounds of fentanyl.  During a secondary search, the female voluntarily removed a condom-wrapped bundle from her vaginal cavity. The female was two months pregnant.

Later that day, CBP Officers encountered a 39-year-old female U.S. citizen attempting to smuggle 0.17 pounds of fentanyl concealed in her rectum. The female admitted to CBP Officers that she was carrying drugs and voluntarily extracted the bundle.

At the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing, CBP Officers encountered a 27-year-old female, U.S. citizen who was discovered to have a bag filled with 4.1 grams of fentanyl concealed in the bra area.

“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.” 

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