EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Border officers at El Paso ports of entry arrested 26 fugitives and seized 248 pounds of hard narcotics during nine days last month.

The drug seizures come when the nation copes with a record number of deadly overdoses in the past year.

“Every time a CBP officer stops a drug load, it can potentially save the life of one of our fellow citizens,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha.

Drug-sniffing dogs and X-ray scans led border officers to sizable amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine hidden within vehicles, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.

  • 16.62 pounds of cocaine.
  • 22.75 pounds of meth.
  • Fentanyl and heroin.
  • May 20: A 34-year-old female Mexican citizen had 22.75 pounds of methamphetamine at the Bridge of the Americas.
  • May 21: A 51-year-old male Mexican citizen had 38.22 pounds of cocaine at the Ysleta Port of Entry.
  • May 23: A 28-year-old male U.S. citizen had 24.25 pounds of cocaine at the Paso Del Norte bridge.
  • May 25: A 23-year-old male Mexican citizen and a 45-year-old male Mexican citizen were caught with a total of 31.3 pounds of methamphetamine, 15.65 pounds of fentanyl and 16.62 pounds of cocaine minutes apart at the Bridge of the Americas.
  • May 26: A 23-year-old female U.S. citizen had 25.52 pounds of cocaine at the Bridge of the Americas.
  • May 27: A 22-year-old female U.S. citizen had 45.74 pounds of methamphetamine at the Paso del Norte.
  • May 29: A 48-year-old female Mexican citizen had a mixed load of 8.46 pounds of fentanyl and five pounds of heroin at the Paso Del Norte bridge.
  • May 29: A 23-year-old male U.S. citizen had 2.1 pounds of methamphetamine strapped to his body in the pedestrian lanes at the Paso Del Nort Bridge.
  • May 30: An 18-year-old male U.S. citizen had 12.78 pounds of cocaine at the Paso del Norte bridge.

CBP officers the subjects and handed them over to Homeland Security Investigations or local authorities for prosecution.

CBP said officers also arrested 26 fugitives wanted for various charges, including dangerous drugs, fraud, obscenity, larceny, aggravated assault and sexual assault of a child.