14,000 Tablets of Ecstasy Seized at Ambassador Bridge

(Monday, December 19, 2005)

contacts for this press release

Detroit, MI– U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Ambassador Bridge border crossing discovered approximately 14,000 tablets of ecstasy concealed in the engine compartment of a car on Sunday, December 18, 2005.

On Sunday, December 18, 2005 at approximately one o’clock in the morning a car utilized the Ambassador Bridge to make entry into the United States. The driver, an Albanian Citizen and Legal Permanent Resident in the U.S., and his passenger, a Ukrainian citizen and Legal Permanent Resident in the U.S. were returning from a trip to Canada.
As Customs and Border Protection Officer's continued their inspection they found bags of tablets in the vehicle’s air filter.

The vehicle was selected for further inspection and referred to the secondary inspection area. As the CBPOs were inspecting the car they discovered a plastic bag containing tablets in the area of the back seat. The two individuals were immediately detained by CBP. As CBPOs continued their inspection and they found more bags of tablets in the rear seat area and in the vehicle’s air filter. The pills were field tested and identified as Ecstasy (MDMA). When a K9 team checked the car they uncovered a small amount, 3.16 grams, of marijuana hidden in the fuse box in the engine compartment.

The driver and passenger were turned over to Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further processing. The drugs, with a street value of approximately $355,000, and the vehicle were seized by Customs and Border Protection.

“United States Customs and Border Protection Officers will talk to thousands of legitimate travelers every day of this holiday season”, stated Mr. Gary Calhoun, Acting Port Director for the Port of Detroit. “In this instance our officers used their training, and experience to find an illegal activity and prevented these drugs from entering our communities.”





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