BROWNSVILLE, Texas—
    U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Gateway International Bridge arrested a Harlingen man in connection with an attempt to smuggle alleged narcotics worth $526,000.
     “Our CBP officers have done an outstanding job in keeping these hard narcotics from crossing our borders,” said Port Director Petra Horne, Port of Brownsville. “By intercepting and keeping these dangerous narcotics from entering our communities, our frontline officers demonstrate their commitment to safeguard our nation.”
     The narcotics seizure occurred on Sept. 24, after CBP officers working at the Gateway International Bridge encountered a 19-year-old male United States citizen, arriving from Matamoros driving a maroon 2009 Dodge Caliber. A CBP officer referred the vehicle to secondary for further inspection. During the inspection and with the assistance of a canine, officers discovered six packages hidden within the vehicle that contained 14.64 pounds of alleged heroin, which have an estimated street value of $398,400. Officers also found four packages containing 9.13 pounds of alleged methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $127,778.
     CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the vehicle, arrested the male traveler, and turned him over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.