El Paso, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers

	click for hi-res CBP El Paso Port officers found marijuana bundles hidden in quarter panels of a vehicle.

working at the El Paso Port seized 287 pounds of marijuana in four seizures Monday. During the last seven days area CBP officers have seized 3,580 pounds of marijuana in 19 enforcement actions.

“Hard working CBP officers are making significant drug seizures on a daily basis,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Hector Mancha. “Their vigilance is vital in keeping El Paso and the U.S. safe.”

The largest of the four Thursday seizures was made just after 4:00 p.m. at the Paso Del Norte international crossing while CBP officers were performing a sweep of vehicles waiting in line at the downtown crossing. CBP drug sniffing dog “Yuran” alerted to a 1996 Ford F-150 pickup truck waiting for inspection.

click for hi-res More marijuana bundles in vehicle's hidden compartment in quarter panels. Total marijuana 147 pounds.

CBP officers initiated a secondary inspection and located hidden compartments in the dashboard, fenders and quarter panels of the vehicle. CBP officers removed 133 drug filled bundles from the compartments. The marijuana weighed 147 pounds.

CBP officers took custody of the driver, 45-year-old Maria De Jesus Duran Guerrero of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations special agents to face federal charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt. She is currently being held without bond at the El Paso County Jail.

	click for hi-res Marijuana bundles found in hidden compartments in vehicle's fenders.

CBP officers working at El Paso area ports of entry Monday made two additional drug busts, apprehended three NCIC fugitives, recorded two illegal export violations, and made five interceptions of prohibited agricultural items.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.