US Customs Service Press Release -- April 5, 2001

U.S. Customs Service Inspectors Seize 343 Pounds of Cocaine at Presidio Port 
Seizure is a Record for the Presidio Crossing

El Paso, Tex. -- U.S. Customs Service inspectors at the Presidio port of entry seized 343 pounds of cocaine Wednesday afternoon. The seizure is the largest cocaine seizure Customs has ever made at the Presidio crossing.

The seizure was made after a 1991 Kenworth tractor-trailer entered the port from Mexico. A U.S. Customs Service inspector noticed that the driver was nervous during routine questioning so an intensive exam was initiated. A U.S. Customs Service inspector used a "Buster" density meter on the vehicle and received high readings in the headliner area of the cab. High readings indicate that contraband may be concealed in a normally hollow space.

U.S. Customs inspectors drilled the headliner and discovered a white powder. U.S. Customs inspectors then discovered a hidden compartment built between the headliner and roof of the cab. They opened the compartment and discovered 138 bricks of cocaine.

U.S. Customs Service special agents arrested the driver of the truck in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. He is 47-year-old Jose Bonilla-Morales of Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. Bonilla-Morales is slated to make his initial appearance before a federal magistrate in Alpine on Friday. He will be charged with importation of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

Report Drug Smuggling to 1-800-BE-ALERT or 1-888-NO-DROGA

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