LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized undeclared pharmaceutical medication that resulted in the arrest of one female traveler.
“This seizure of undeclared prescription medication was composed of muscle relaxants, sedatives and stimulants that are classified as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Fortunately, our frontline officers remain vigilant in the interdiction of these dangerous drugs, which aids in the prosecution of alleged drug traffickers.”
The seizure occurred on Saturday, August 7th, at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge, when a CBP officer referred a 43-year-old female United States citizen for a secondary examination. The subject made entry from Mexico as a pedestrian. Following a thorough examination of the subjects’ personal belongings, CBP officers discovered a total of 16 packages containing 1,508 tablets of Carisoprodol, 2,679 tablets of Valium, 600 tablets of Ritalin and 3,771 tablets of Xanax.
CBP seized the undeclared medication. The pedestrian was arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents 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. 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. Learn more at Traveling with Prescription Medications.