Operation Southern Surge: more than 1,600 pounds of narcotics seized, 89 arrested

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(The Center Square) – In a multiagency action in Texas border counties, federal agents seized more than 1,600 pounds of narcotics, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and arrested 89 people. 

Through Operation Southern Surge, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol K9 teams, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas targeted drug trafficking and criminal activity in Texas border counties in the latter half of October.

Paul Del Rincon, assistance director of CBP Office of Field Operations-Laredo, said at a news conference near the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, that since Oct. 19, federal agents working through Operation Southern Surge seized more than 1,600 pounds of narcotics, 15 firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition and more than $360,000 in illicit currency. These enforcement actions also led to arrest of 89 people, Del Rincon said. 

The bridge crosses the Rio Grande River connecting Laredo to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

“Operation Southern Surge brings additional CBP officers, specialized Office of Field Operations and Border Patrol K9 teams, advanced screening technology and targeted inspections, to the ports of Laredo, Roma, Hidalgo and Brownsville,” Del Rincon said. He’s referring to a region that stretches from Laredo, roughly two hours south of San Antonio, southeast several hundred miles to Brownsville in the Rio Grande Valley. The region has historically had the greatest volume of illegal entries. 

Del Rincon identified examples of apprehensions made. 

Over the weekend, at the Hidalgo Port of Entry, a K-9 alerted officers to potential narcotics being smuggled in a vehicle. CBP officers performed an inspection and found cylindrical packages hidden in a shipment of leeks. They found a total of 909 packages that tested positive for methamphetamine. The packages weighed nearly 1,083 pounds and have an estimated street value of nearly $985,000, he said. 

In another enforcement action, at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, CBP officers inspected a vehicle using nonintrusive inspection technology and detected “an anomaly.” They next found nearly 50 pounds of cocaine concealed in 20 packages.

“Operation Southern Surge leverages tactical intelligence and coordinated enforcement actions to dismantle the trafficking infrastructure, intercept illicit supply chains, and bolster situational awareness across the southwest border,” Director Jennifer De La O of the Laredo Field Office, Office of Field Operations, said. “International drug trafficking presents a direct threat to U.S. national security, public safety and economic stability and our partnerships are a force multiplier in detecting these crimes and protecting the public.” 

HSI Laredo Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Charles Kerby added that “securing the border requires more than making seizures or stopping a single smuggling attempt. HSI’s role is to follow the evidence, identify the people behind these crimes, and dismantle the organizations moving drugs, weapons, money, and people across the border.” 

HSI is the investigative arm of CBP. It’s working with multiple agencies and law enforcement partners “to hold these criminal networks accountable and protect communities across the country,” Kerby said.

They are continuing to combat cartels, gangs and transnational criminal organizations, many of which were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration. They are also continuing to target human smuggling and drug trafficking networks, including child trafficking and other crimes involving children, he said.

Their efforts are in concert with Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security mission Operation Lone Star, which is ongoing in its fifth year of operation. In five years, OLS officers having apprehended more than 540,000 people and seized more than 870 million lethal doses of fentanyl, The Center Square reported. 

Operation Lone Star Task Force efforts are also ongoing with sheriffs and deputies continuing to identify and thwart cartel smuggling operations, The Center Square exclusively reported.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham also expanded Texas control along the Texas-Mexico border in the last few years. Most recently, she designated nine islands as state land along the Rio Grande River, including in the Laredo area, The Center Square reported. The designation was made after her office conducted research and land surveys in response to requests from Border Patrol.