Presidio, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Presidio port of entry seized 124 pounds of marijuana October 6.

	click for hi-res CBP officers at the Presidio, Texas, port of entry located marijuana-filled metal collars attached to the rims of a vehicle that entered the port from Mexico October 6, 2012.

The drugs were hidden inside metal collars which were attached to the rims of the tires of a vehicle that entered the port from Mexico. Two women from Albuquerque, New Mexico, were arrested.

“Smugglers went to considerable length and expense to create these compartments,” said acting CBP Presidio Port Director Alex Leos. “These metal collars were cut and welded specifically to fit the rims of the vehicle being used in this failed smuggling attempt. This shows that smugglers are only limited by their imagination.”

The seizure was made at approximately 5:15 a.m. Saturday when a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe entered the port from Mexico. CBP officers selected the vehicle for a secondary exam during which an x-ray scan of the vehicle showed anomalies in the appearance of the tires. CBP officers used a “Buster” density meter to scan the tires and received high readings consistent with hidden contraband. A physical exam of the tires also indicated the presence of foreign objects within the tires. CBP officers removed one tire and located metal collars attached to the rim. CBP officers drilled into one collar which produced a substance that tested positive for marijuana. CBP officers removed 124 pounds of tightly compressed marijuana from 16 metal boxes that circled all four tire rims.

CBP officers took custody of the driver, 29-year-old Christina Layne, and the passenger, 20-year-old Crystal Nicole Roybal. They were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents to face federal charges in connection with the failed smuggling attempt.

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.