EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso border officers in El Paso made a “needle in a haystack” drug bust when they located a single doll inside a full shipment of dolls, with prescription drugs inside a hidden compartment, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release
It happened Thursday at the Ysleta Port of Entry when CBP officers working the cargo facility selected a shipment of cotton dolls for inspection. During the examination, a single doll was found with multiple pills hidden in a battery compartment.
CBP identified the drugs as Stilnox, also sold under the brand name Ambien, which is a sedative-hypnotic controlled drug. The medication was seized, and the investigation into the incident continues.
“Finding hidden controlled medication in a doll is like finding a needle in a haystack and our officers succeeded in doing so,” CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha said.
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Later Thursday, officers at the Bridge of the Americas referred a 24-year-old U.S. citizen driving a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette for inspection. During the secondary exam, a drug-sniffing dog and an X-ray scan helped officers locate over 40 pounds of cocaine hidden in the floorboard.
The cocaine and suspect were seized and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations to face federal charges.
Also on May 7, CBP officers at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry also located three pounds of methamphetamine in the undercarriage of a car driven by a U.S. citizen. She was also turned over the HSI for federal charges.
