BROWNSVILLE — A traveler from Magnolia, Texas, was stopped at the border while trying to return from Mexico with a lot of pills this weekend, federal authorities announced Tuesday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Los Indios International Bridge seized undeclared pharmaceutical medication that resulted in the arrest of the 33-year-old man.
“This seizure of undeclared prescription medication was composed of sedatives and other medications that are classified as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry.
The seizure took place on Sunday at the Los Indios International Bridge when the U.S. citizen attempted entry into the United States driving a 2015 Ford. The vehicle was referred to CBP secondary for further examination after a primary inspection. While in the secondary inspection area, with the aid of a canine unit and a non-intrusive inspection system, CBP officers discovered pills hidden within the vehicle.
CBP officers removed the prescription medication, which contained a total of 71,590 pills, including 58,038 Xanax pills.
Authorities seized the undeclared medication and the vehicle, arrested the traveler and turned him over to the custody of Cameron County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation.
“Federal law permits travelers to carry personal use amounts of prescription medications, generally considered to be up to a 90-day supply,” CBP stated. “Additionally, the medicine containers must be labeled with the doctor’s prescription, or the traveler must possess a copy of the doctor’s prescription if the medicines are in an unlabeled container.”
