EL PASO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently stopped multiple women smuggling fentanyl in their body cavities across the Mexico-Texas border.
On June 6, officers working at the Ysleta border arrested a 34-year-old woman after she admitted to carrying narcotics on her body and voluntarily removed two bundles filled with blue fentanyl pills from her rectal cavity.
Five days later, officers working the pedestrian lanes at the Paso Del Norte border crossing intercepted a 34-year-old U.S. citizen trying to smuggle 0.14 pounds of fentanyl. She was referred for a secondary inspection where a canine alerted to the presence of drugs. A pat down search was conducted and officers discovered a drug-filled balloon that had dislodged from her vaginal cavity.
Two days after that, on June 13, officers working at the same location intercepted a 47-year-old U.S. citizen trying to smuggle 0.07 pounds of fentanyl. During a pat down search, officers said they felt a foreign object in her groin area. She then admitted to carrying drugs and voluntarily removed a bundle from her vaginal cavity.
“Smugglers will utilize any and all methods available to introduce contraband to the United States,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “CBP uses multiple layers of enforcement to identify and stop these smugglers. Some of those layers include technology, officer expertise, and canine enforcement teams.”
All three women were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and other federal agencies for prosecution.