On Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents foiled a drug-smuggling operation in South Texas and nabbed two Mexican nationals, one who tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus and may have ties to a drug cartel.
In a press release, CBP announced Rio Grande City Border Patrol agents apprehended two Mexican nationals in Escobares, Texas, as part of a drug smuggling case. Following their arrests, both subjects complained of migraines and were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. One of the subjects, a Mexican national who has been arrested by Border Patrol agents three times since late 2018, tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. The subject will remain in CBP custody for quarantine before his return to Mexico. CBP personnel who interacted with the individual were evaluated and showed no adverse signs or symptoms.
"Our border security efforts are vital in containing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the American people during this health pandemic," said CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan. "Our Border Patrol agents risk their lives every day and, in this case, they did their jobs and ensured these smugglers could not successfully enter the United States. Think about the alternative: potentially endless exposure and spread of the virus to innocent Americans with likely disastrous consequences from unscrupulous smugglers. This is yet another example of why COVID-19 policies are so critical to the health and safety of the American people."
The Mexican national is the second individual in CBP custody to test positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. An Indian national apprehended by CBP near Calexico, California, on April 23, also tested positive for the virus.