EL PASO, TEXAS – Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents working at the Bridge of the Americas, recently stopped a vehicle carrying 19 bundles of methamphetamine and cocaine. And what's different about these drugs? They were wrapped with a colorful covering.
Smugglers usually wrap illegal substances with the traditional black tape. But when CBP officers found packages of drugs this time, they were wrapped in bright blue, red and yellow tape.
According to acting CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio: “While the wrapping of choice was novel what is most important here is that CBP officers stopped a significant amount of drugs from reaching their intended destination.”
The seizure occurred last Sunday, July 15, when a 2014 Chevrolet Aveo with a lone male driver reached the port of Mexico. At the primary inspection, a CBP officer began examining the vehicle by using the Buster Density Meter from Campbell/Harris Security Equipment Company (CSECO). The readings provided by the Buster remained consistent throughout scanning for hidden contraband at the rear doors. Aside from the Buster, CBP officers used other means such as a trained sniffing dog who searched the vehicle and alerted the agents to the doors.
The search resulted in the seizure of seventeen bundles containing 28.3 pounds of meth and two bundles containing 4.9 pounds of cocaine. CBP agents arrested the car's driver, a 26-year-old Mexican citizen. The man was turned over to the ICE Homeland Security Investigations where he faces charges related to an unsuccessful smuggling attempt.
The Buster Density Meter is CSECO's flagship product. It has been hailed as the “gold standard” of contraband detection equipment due to its use of sophisticated technology – low-intensity gamma radiation emitter and scintillation detector – that allows for quick and accurate scans for hidden contraband.
Whether you use it on various types of vehicles, walls, containers, or many other items, the Buster's low-intensity gamma rays will penetrate deep into the surfaces, making accurate readings about the suspected object's density.
Ever since the Buster was launched over three decades ago, it has been instrumental in the seizure of billions of dollars' worth of illegal substances, narcotics, cash, weapons, and other smuggled and contraband items.